Application of Advanced Emulsion Technology in the Food Industry: A Review and Critical Evaluation

Overview

Journal Foods

Specialty Biotechnology

Date 2021 Apr 30

PMID 33918596

Citations 30

Authors

Chen Tan

David Julian McClements

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The food industry is one of the major users of emulsion technology, as many food products exist in an emulsified form, including many dressings, sauces, spreads, dips, creams, and beverages. Recently, there has been an interest in improving the healthiness, sustainability, and safety of foods in an attempt to address some of the negative effects associated with the modern food supply, such as rising chronic diseases, environmental damage, and food safety concerns. Advanced emulsion technologies can be used to address many of these concerns. In this review article, recent studies on the development and utilization of these advanced technologies are critically assessed, including nanoemulsions, high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs), Pickering emulsions, multilayer emulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), multiple emulsions, and emulgels. A brief description of each type of emulsion is given, then their formation and properties are described, and finally their potential applications in the food industry are presented. Special emphasis is given to the utilization of these advanced technologies for the delivery of bioactive compounds.

Citing Articles

Droplet-supported liquid-liquid lateral phase separation as a step to floating protein heterostructures.

Chen H, Han Z, Wang S, Zhu M, Wang L, Lin Y Nat Commun. 2025; 16(1):1897.

PMID: 39988593 PMC: 11847946. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57141-w.

Benzenedialdehyde-crosslinked gelatin nanoparticles for Pickering emulsion stabilization.

Gong H, Chen L, Kan G, Zhang W, Qian Q, Wang X Curr Res Food Sci. 2025; 10():100961.

PMID: 39817040 PMC: 11733051. DOI: 10.1016/j.crfs.2024.100961.

Synthesis of a Cholesterol Derivative and Its Application in Gel Emulsion Preparation.

Liu Y, Liu S, Zhang Q, Tian G Molecules. 2025; 29(24.

PMID: 39770143 PMC: 11679281. DOI: 10.3390/molecules29246055.

Thermogelation of nanoemulsions stabilized by a commercial pea protein isolate: high-pressure homogenization defines gel strength.

Renggli D, Doyle P Soft Matter. 2025; 21(4):652-669.

PMID: 39751842 PMC: 11698122. DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00687a.

Exploring the Nexus Between Emulsifier Characteristics and Typhimurium Viability in Oil-in-Water Emulsions.

Tsai S, Tikekar R Food Sci Nutr. 2024; 12(12):10275-10283.

PMID: 39723055 PMC: 11666915. DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.4569.

References

Bunjes H, Koch M, Westesen K . Influence of emulsifiers on the crystallization of solid lipid nanoparticles. J Pharm Sci. 2003; 92(7):1509-20. DOI: 10.1002/jps.10413. View

Jafari S, McClements D . Nanotechnology Approaches for Increasing Nutrient Bioavailability. Adv Food Nutr Res. 2017; 81:1-30. DOI: 10.1016/bs.afnr.2016.12.008. View

Ge S, Xiong L, Li M, Liu J, Yang J, Chang R . Characterizations of Pickering emulsions stabilized by starch nanoparticles: Influence of starch variety and particle size. Food Chem. 2017; 234:339-347. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.04.150. View

Zamani S, Malchione N, Selig M, Abbaspourrad A . Formation of shelf stable Pickering high internal phase emulsions (HIPE) through the inclusion of whey protein microgels. Food Funct. 2018; 9(2):982-990. DOI: 10.1039/c7fo01800b. View

Wijaya W, Zheng H, Zheng T, Su S, Patel A, van der Meeren P . Improved bioaccessibility of polymethoxyflavones loaded into high internal phase emulsions stabilized by biopolymeric complexes: A dynamic digestion study via TNO's gastrointestinal model. Curr Res Food Sci. 2020; 2:11-19. PMC: 7473367. DOI: 10.1016/j.crfs.2019.11.007. View

Yuan D, Hu Y, Zeng T, Yin S, Tang C, Yang X . Development of stable Pickering emulsions/oil powders and Pickering HIPEs stabilized by gliadin/chitosan complex particles. Food Funct. 2017; 8(6):2220-2230. DOI: 10.1039/c7fo00418d. View

Tan C, Wang J, Sun B . Biopolymer-liposome hybrid systems for controlled delivery of bioactive compounds: Recent advances. Biotechnol Adv. 2021; 48:107727. DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107727. View

Akhoond Zardini A, Mohebbi M, Farhoosh R, Bolurian S . Production and characterization of nanostructured lipid carriers and solid lipid nanoparticles containing lycopene for food fortification. J Food Sci Technol. 2018; 55(1):287-298. PMC: 5756214. DOI: 10.1007/s13197-017-2937-5. View

Davidov-Pardo G, McClements D . Nutraceutical delivery systems: resveratrol encapsulation in grape seed oil nanoemulsions formed by spontaneous emulsification. Food Chem. 2014; 167:205-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.06.082. View

10.

Li J, Xu X, Chen Z, Wang T, Lu Z, Hu W . Zein/gum Arabic nanoparticle-stabilized Pickering emulsion with thymol as an antibacterial delivery system. Carbohydr Polym. 2018; 200:416-426. DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.08.025. View

11.

Brun N, Ungureanu S, Deleuze H, Backov R . Hybrid foams, colloids and beyond: from design to applications. Chem Soc Rev. 2010; 40(2):771-88. DOI: 10.1039/b920518g. View

12.

Xu Y, Tang C, Liu T, Liu R . Ovalbumin as an Outstanding Pickering Nanostabilizer for High Internal Phase Emulsions. J Agric Food Chem. 2018; 66(33):8795-8804. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b02183. View

13.

Zhu Y, Huan S, Bai L, Ketola A, Shi X, Zhang X . High Internal Phase Oil-in-Water Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Chitin Nanofibrils: 3D Structuring and Solid Foam . ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2020; 12(9):11240-11251. PMC: 7735654. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b23430. View

14.

Zeng T, Wu Z, Zhu J, Yin S, Tang C, Wu L . Development of antioxidant Pickering high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) stabilized by protein/polysaccharide hybrid particles as potential alternative for PHOs. Food Chem. 2017; 231:122-130. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.03.116. View

15.

Torres O, Tena N, Murray B, Sarkar A . Novel starch based emulsion gels and emulsion microgel particles: Design, structure and rheology. Carbohydr Polym. 2017; 178:86-94. DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.09.027. View

16.

Kumar R, Kaur K, Uppal S, Mehta S . Ultrasound processed nanoemulsion: A comparative approach between resveratrol and resveratrol cyclodextrin inclusion complex to study its binding interactions, antioxidant activity and UV light stability. Ultrason Sonochem. 2017; 37:478-489. DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2017.02.004. View

17.

Yi J, Gao L, Zhong G, Fan Y . Fabrication of high internal phase Pickering emulsions with calcium-crosslinked whey protein nanoparticles for β-carotene stabilization and delivery. Food Funct. 2020; 11(1):768-778. DOI: 10.1039/c9fo02434d. View

18.

Tan C, Wang J, Sun B . Polysaccharide dual coating of yeast capsules for stabilization of anthocyanins. Food Chem. 2021; 357:129652. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129652. View

19.

Zhang R, Zhang Z, McClements D . Nanoemulsions: An emerging platform for increasing the efficacy of nutraceuticals in foods. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2020; 194:111202. DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2020.111202. View

20.

Ravanfar R, Tamaddon A, Niakousari M, Moein M . Preservation of anthocyanins in solid lipid nanoparticles: Optimization of a microemulsion dilution method using the Placket-Burman and Box-Behnken designs. Food Chem. 2016; 199:573-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.12.061. View