Double Emulsions in Food Systems
Summary
Double emulsions are complex, multi-compartment systems in which tiny water droplets are encapsulated within oil droplets, which in turn are dispersed in a continuous aqueous phase. This hierarchical structure enables simultaneous delivery of hydrophilic and lipophilic ingredients, making double emulsions highly attractive for applications such as controlled release of flavours, vitamins, polyphenols and minerals. In food systems they can act as fat replacers, nutraceutical carriers, colour stabilisers and fortification vehicles. However, their practical use is limited by inherent thermodynamic instability arising from processes such as coalescence, Ostwald ripening and phase inversion. Stability is governed by interfacial properties, droplet size distribution and rheological characteristics of each phase. A range of strategies has been developed to overcome these challenges: judicious selection and combination of surfactants, proteins or biopolymers; Pickering stabilisation with food-grade particles; crystallisation of lipid shells; gelling of the aqueous phases; and controlled processing via high-energy homogenisation, microfluidics or emerging one-step techniques. Advances in interfacial engineering and process intensification are driving a shift from empirical formulation towards predictive design, broadening the potential of double emulsions in low-fat products, functional beverages and encapsulated bioactive delivery.
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Double Emulsions in Food Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in double emulsions in food systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Double emulsion: A hierarchically structured emulsion in which water droplets are encapsulated within oil droplets and those oil droplets are dispersed in an outer aqueous phase.
Pickering stabilization: Stabilisation of emulsions by solid particles adsorbing at the oil–water interface to form a physical barrier against droplet coalescence.
Interfacial engineering: The design and modification of droplet surfaces using specific emulsifiers, polymers or particles to control stability, droplet interactions and release profiles.
Microfluidics: The use of micrometre-scale fluidic channels to generate monodisperse droplets with precise control over size and composition.
Encapsulation efficiency: The proportion of core (active) material successfully retained within the inner phase of the emulsion during formulation and storage.
References
- Trends in food emulsion technology: Pickering, nano-, and double emulsions. Current Opinion in Food Science (2023).
- Evaluating the Stability of Double Emulsions—A Review of the Measurement Techniques for the Systematic Investigation of Instability Mechanisms. Colloids and Interfaces (2020).
- Recent advances in design and stability of double emulsions: Trends in Pickering stabilization. Food Hydrocolloids (2022).
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