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Stability of O/W emulsions with diverse food-grade emulsifiers under high centrifugal force

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT The stability of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions is governed by interfacial properties and oil droplet size. In this study, emulsions stabilised by sodium caseinate (Cas), whey protein isolate (WPI), whey protein aggregates (WPA), lactoferrin (LF), Tween 60 (T60), sucrose stearate (SS), a Tween 60/Span 60 mixture (T60/S60), and propylene glycol alginate (PGA) were systematically compared. Polydisperse emulsions with controlled droplet-size distributions ( D 50 ≈30–80 μm) were prepared and analysed using analytical photo-centrifugation. Emulsion stability was quantified by the critical osmotic pressure ( ) derived from oiling-off behaviour under high centrifugal stress. Protein-stabilised emulsions (Cas, WPI, WPA, LF) consistently exhibited higher values than emulsions stabilised by non-ionic surfactants (T60, SS, and T60/S60), while PGA-stabilised emulsions showed intermediate stability. Measurements of zeta potential, hydrodynamic size and interfacial tension indicated that no single physicochemical parameter could explain the observed stability ranking. In particular, neither electrostatic interactions nor droplet deformability alone were sufficient to account for the observed differences in stability among emulsifier systems. The results suggest that additional interfacial properties contribute to emulsion stability under centrifugal stress. This study demonstrates that analytical photo-centrifugation combined with analysis is an effective approach for quantitative comparison of emulsion stability and provides practical guidance for emulsifier selection in systems subjected to high mechanical or pressure stresses.
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2026.113500
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,990
OpenAlex ID: W7221940633
FWCI:
Cites: 40
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