Properties and functions of stabilizing agents in food emulsions.

This review outlines the state of knowledge concerning the basic processes which underlie the behavior of food stabilizers in practical applications. The stability of emulsions is discussed in terms of the forces acting between macroscopic colloidal particles. These forces include the van der Waals force of attraction, which is always present, and the electrostatic, steric, and hydration forces which may stabilize an emulsion since they can be repulsive. The adsorption behavior at the liquid/liquid interface of classes of typical food stabilizers and the influence of the absorbed layer on the droplet-droplet interactions in emulsions are discussed. Finally, the important effects of the surface-active properties of stabilizers on the mechanisms involved in emulsion formation are described.