Influence of different hydrocolloids on physical stability of beverage emulsions

beverage emulsions are oil in water complex systems, which are prepared in a concentrated form and then diluted in sugar/acid solution prior to consumption in order to produce the finished beverage. The beverage emulsions must have a high degree of stability in both concentrated and diluted forms. Many factors, such as viscosity, molar mass, branching, concentration of stabilizing hydrocolloids have most effects on emulsion stability. Emulsions are commonly stabilized using polysaccharides (PS), which have advantages over proteins and small-molecule surfactants because proteins are more sensitive to environmental conditions (pH, ionic strength, temperature) than PS. In addition, small-molecule surfactants may have problems associated with flavors. Therefore, these kind of soft drinks are often stabilized by hydrocolloids such as gum Arabic, xanthan gum or hydrophobically modified starch, and sometimes stabilized by carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), locust bean gum galactomannan, and high methoxyl pectin (HMP). Food manufacturers should have knowledge about the relationship between the emulsion properties and matrix composition as well as microstructure in order to formulate emulsion-based products with desirable characteristics. A brief overview of the various hydrocolloids and its mechanism, available for stabilizing this type of beverage emulsions is given.

Keywords:

beverage , emulsion , hydrocolloid , stability