Food Additives


What are emulsifiers and how they are used

Emulsifier, the word has its roots in the Latin word 'emulgere' meaning 'milking out'. But you may be wondering what an emulsifier is! Emulsifiers are basically molecules that are composed of parts which have great affinity with water as well as oil. These water and oil friendly parts mingle together and make the oil and water droplets to be dispersed with one another very intricately which leads to an emulsion that can be defined as a dispersion of droplets of a non-miscible liquid into another.

Scientifically speaking, emulsifiers are substances with lipophilic and hydrophilic properties simultaneously.

The emulsifier is absorbed in the interface of two non-miscible liquids which creates a film between the two. The molecular structure of the emulsifier is such that the polar part of its molecules is water-loving while the non-polar part makes amity with the fatty phase. The lipophilic or the hydrophilic properties of the emulsifiers are generally standardized by their Hydrophilic and Lipophilic Balance( HLB) value. The emulsifiers which contain strong hydrophilic value have high HLB whereas those with strong lipophilic property have low HLB. This HLB value is very important in selecting an emulsifier for any application. Emulsifiers containing high HLB are apt for oil-in-water emulsions while those with low HLB are perfect for water-in-oil emulsions.

Perhaps egg yolk was the premier emulsifier to be used in cuisine which dates back to the debut of the 19th century. In those days, creation of the perfect emulsifier was based on some theories. It was thought that the impeccable emulsifier can be obtained by mixing the emulsion with a wooden paddle. When this emulsion is stirred in a definite direction that particular direction of mixing should remain without any change. There was also a notion that a southpaw is unable to create a steady emulsion!

Now there are varieties of emulsifiers found in the market. The most common found as food items are margarine, mayonnaise, butter and espresso. You must have observed that in margarine or in butter, droplets of water are surrounded by an incessant lipid phase. This is an instance of water-in-oil emulsion. Emulsifiers are also commonly seen on the photo-sensitive side of film stock or as cutting fluid used in metal works.

Although emulsifiers were in use since the early 19th century, they were finally produced in industrial scale after 1950s, thanks to the birth of processed food industry. This certain industry was in requirement of technological development to manufacture and preserve products which were to be distributed by mass market channels. And the most difficult thing in it was to retain product stability over a long shelf time. The naissance of emulsifiers have fixed this problem.

Emulsifiers are used in our quotidian days. They are used in manufacturing high quality bread, shiny surfaced and non-waxy good chocolates, in producing toffees to lower stickiness to teeth, soft chewing gums with nice flavor, light creamy ice creams, sausages. Margarine, the indispensable thing on our breakfast table, is totally dependant on emulsifiers for their existence.