Emulsions

Question 1

How do you make an emulsion?

Answer 1

By mixing water with oil. Emulsions are made up of droplets of one liquid suspended in another.

• they are thicker than oil or water e.g mayonaise is an emulsion of sunflower oil and viniger.
• lots of uses e.g. salad dressings
• the more oil used in the emulsion, the thicker it is.
• emulsions have non-food uses- most moisturising lotions are water-oil emulsions.

Question 2

Oil in water mixture naturally…

Answer 2

seperate out.

Question 3

What are emulsifiers?

Answer 3

Molecules with one part that’s attracted to water and the other to oil or fat.

Water attraction = hydrophillic

Oil attraction = hydrophobic

Question 4

Pros and cons of using emulsifiers:

Answer 4

• stops emulsions from seperating out, giving them a long shelf-life
• allow companies to produce food that’s lower in fat which still has a good texture
• some people are allergic to emulsifiers e.g egg yolk is often used as an emulsifier