If I said the word "cow" to you, chances are you will be able to picture it inside your head.
But if I said "emulsifier", chances are that it will leave you scratching your head.
So what is "emulsifier"? For French-style ice cream, the emulsifier is the egg yolk. Egg yolks contain a protein called lecithin that provide the emulsifying properties (and a very yummy taste).
(You can actually also find lecithin in soya milk, which explains why soya milk is occasionally added into ice cream.)
Basically, emulsifiers are used to prevent the separation of fat-in-water emulsions. Simply put, emulsifiers prevent fat from separating from rest of ice cream. Plus, emulsifiers thicken the ice cream mixture and promotes suspension of one substance (fat) in another (rest of ice cream).
(In chemistry terms, there is no natural attraction between hydrophilic (water-loving) and lipophilic (fat-loving) agents as they do not get along well together. That is why emulsifiers are needed for them to get along as emulsifiers are molecules composed of a hydrophilic and a lipophilic part to allow water and fat droplets to disperse evenly in each other creating a stable emulsion.)
I think this much information is helpful enough for you to make an informed decision about choosing ice cream and motivates you to first look out for the ingredients list on the pint.
Besides emulsifier, you should read about stabilisers here.
But if I said "emulsifier", chances are that it will leave you scratching your head.
So what is "emulsifier"? For French-style ice cream, the emulsifier is the egg yolk. Egg yolks contain a protein called lecithin that provide the emulsifying properties (and a very yummy taste).
(You can actually also find lecithin in soya milk, which explains why soya milk is occasionally added into ice cream.)
Basically, emulsifiers are used to prevent the separation of fat-in-water emulsions. Simply put, emulsifiers prevent fat from separating from rest of ice cream. Plus, emulsifiers thicken the ice cream mixture and promotes suspension of one substance (fat) in another (rest of ice cream).
(In chemistry terms, there is no natural attraction between hydrophilic (water-loving) and lipophilic (fat-loving) agents as they do not get along well together. That is why emulsifiers are needed for them to get along as emulsifiers are molecules composed of a hydrophilic and a lipophilic part to allow water and fat droplets to disperse evenly in each other creating a stable emulsion.)
I think this much information is helpful enough for you to make an informed decision about choosing ice cream and motivates you to first look out for the ingredients list on the pint.
Besides emulsifier, you should read about stabilisers here.
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