Application of surfactants in food industry

1. Food emulsifiers and thickeners
The most important role of surfactants in the food industry is as emulsifiers and thickeners. Phospholipids are the most commonly used emulsifiers and stabilizers. In addition to phospholipids, commonly used emulsifiers include fatty acid glycerides S, mainly monoglycerides T, fatty acid sucrose esters, fatty acid sorbitan esters, fatty acid propylene glycol esters, soy lecithin, gum arabic, alginic acid, sodium caseinate, Gelatin and egg yolk, etc. Thickeners are divided into two categories: natural and chemically synthesized. Natural thickeners include starch, gum arabic, guar gum, carrageenan, pectin, agar and alginic acid prepared from plants and seaweeds. There are also gelatin, casein and sodium caseinate prepared from protein-containing animals and plants. and xanthan gum produced from microorganisms. The most commonly used synthetic thickeners are sodium carboxymethylcellulose, propylene glycol alginate, cellulose glycolic acid and sodium polyacrylate, sodium starch glycolate, sodium starch phosphate, methylcellulose and sodium polyacrylate.
2. Food preservatives
Rhamnose esters have certain antibacterial, antiviral and antimycoplasmal properties, and sucrose esters also have a greater inhibitory effect on microorganisms, especially spore-forming Gram-positive bacteria.
3. Food dispersants, foaming agents, etc.
In addition to being used as emulsifiers and thickeners in food production, surfactants can also function as dispersants, wetting agents, foaming agents, defoaming agents, crystallization control agents, sterilization and extending the shelf life of food. For example, adding 0.2-0.3% soy lecithin when granulating whole milk powder can improve its hydrophilicity and dispersion, and it can quickly dissolve without clumping during preparation. When making pastries and ice cream, adding glycerin fatty acids and sucrose lipids can have a foaming effect, which is beneficial to the generation of a large number of bubbles. In making condensed milk and soy products, adding glycerin fatty acids and sucrose lipids can have a defoaming effect.
4. Application in the extraction and separation of pigments, aroma components, biologically active components and fermented products
In recent years, surfactants have also been widely used in the extraction and separation of natural ingredients in food, such as pigments, flavor ingredients, bioactive ingredients and fermented products.