emulsifiers in food technology

1
Book review Emulsifiers in Food Technology By Robert J. Whitehurst Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2004. Pp. 264. ISBN 1-4051-1802-4. £99.50. The book is available in hardback from the Blackwell Publishing online bookstore at http:// www.blackwellpublishing.com. The target groups of this book are food scientists/ chemists, food technologists, ingredients suppliers, and quality assurance personnel. This book will be useful for both those who are unfamiliar with emulsifier chemistry and applications and just want a general overview as well as those looking for more detailed knowledge and up-to-date information on food emulsifiers. The book contains 264 pages in ten chapters and four appendices. The ten chapters are written by individual authors, all experts within their field. Emulsifiers are food ingredients, which are used extensively within the food industry as they contribute beneficial functionalities to huge amounts of industrially prepared foods today. Among the benefits offered by emulsifiers are dough strengthening, crumb softening, and retar- dation of staling in bread, i.e. increased shelf-life. In chocolate they are used for rheology modifica- tion during processing and crystal modification. Emulsifiers are also used in the meat industry for water and fat emulsions in e.g. sausages and protein stabilization, while they are used for viscosity modification in ice cream and dairy products etc. Each chapter deals with a main class of food emulsifiers, and examples of typical applications and functionalities are given for each of them together with information on their pro- duction/synthesis, chemistry and physical proper- ties, solubilities, appearance, historical information, and legal status etc. Among the group of emulsifiers dealt with are lecithins, mono- and diglycerides, acid esters of mono- and diglycerides (ACETEM, LACTEM, CITREM), di-acetyl tartaric esters of monoglyc- erides (DATEM), polyglycerol esters (PGE), sucrose esters, sorbitan esters and polysorbates, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, stearoyl-2- lactylates and oleoyl lactylates, as well as ammo- nium phosphatides. There is one conspicuous omission, however: the widely used emulsifier polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is not mentioned at all. The appendices contain information on Hydro- phile Lipophyle Balance (HLB) definition, E-numbers, names and synonyms of food emulsi- fiers as well as a summary of food emulsifier applications and recommended analytical methods for food emulsifiers. There are many useful and illustrative figures and photos in the book, unfor- tunately all in black and white. Colours could have been used throughout the book with advantage, and in all other modern scientific literature as well for that matter, in order to make the information more appealing. Many of the chapters have new references, some of them as recent as 2003. A much used reference in several of the chapters is the EFEMA (Euro- pean Food Emulsifier Manufacturers Association) Index of food emulsifiers, a work which contains extensive information on legal status and also gives examples of applications and recommended analytical methods as well as emulsifier specifica- tions and toxicological data. A new, updated version of this index, more recent than the reference in this book, has been issued in 2004 and can be downloaded for free at http:// www.emulsifiers.org/index.php as a small PDF file. A printed version of the updated index (150 pp.) would be a fine companion for this book on emulsifiers, which is highly recommendable to anyone interested in food chemistry and food technology and wanting to learn more about what emulsifiers are, how they are made/used and, last but not least, what functionalities and benefits they offer in various modern, industrially made foods. A. T. Bech Danisco A/S, Brabrand, Denmark International Journal of Food Science and Technology 2005, 40, 117 117 doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.2004.00900.x Ó 2005 Institute of Food Science and Technology Trust Fund

Upload: a-t-bech

Post on 15-Jul-2016

229 views

Category:

Documents


7 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Emulsifiers in Food Technology

Book review

Emulsifiers in Food Technology

By Robert J. Whitehurst

Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2004.

Pp. 264. ISBN 1-4051-1802-4. £99.50.

The book is available in hardback from the

Blackwell Publishing online bookstore at http://

www.blackwellpublishing.com.

The target groups of this book are food scientists/

chemists, food technologists, ingredients suppliers,

and quality assurance personnel. This book will be

useful for both those who are unfamiliar with

emulsifier chemistry and applications and just

want a general overview as well as those looking

for more detailed knowledge and up-to-date

information on food emulsifiers.

The book contains 264 pages in ten chapters

and four appendices. The ten chapters are written

by individual authors, all experts within their field.

Emulsifiers are food ingredients, which are used

extensively within the food industry as they

contribute beneficial functionalities to huge

amounts of industrially prepared foods today.

Among the benefits offered by emulsifiers are

dough strengthening, crumb softening, and retar-

dation of staling in bread, i.e. increased shelf-life.

In chocolate they are used for rheology modifica-

tion during processing and crystal modification.

Emulsifiers are also used in the meat industry for

water and fat emulsions in e.g. sausages and

protein stabilization, while they are used for

viscosity modification in ice cream and dairy

products etc. Each chapter deals with a main class

of food emulsifiers, and examples of typical

applications and functionalities are given for each

of them together with information on their pro-

duction/synthesis, chemistry and physical proper-

ties, solubilities, appearance, historical

information, and legal status etc.

Among the group of emulsifiers dealt with are

lecithins, mono- and diglycerides, acid esters of

mono- and diglycerides (ACETEM, LACTEM,

CITREM), di-acetyl tartaric esters of monoglyc-

erides (DATEM), polyglycerol esters (PGE),

sucrose esters, sorbitan esters and polysorbates,

propylene glycol fatty acid esters, stearoyl-2-

lactylates and oleoyl lactylates, as well as ammo-

nium phosphatides. There is one conspicuous

omission, however: the widely used emulsifier

polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is not

mentioned at all.

The appendices contain information on Hydro-

phile Lipophyle Balance (HLB) definition,

E-numbers, names and synonyms of food emulsi-

fiers as well as a summary of food emulsifier

applications and recommended analytical methods

for food emulsifiers. There are many useful and

illustrative figures and photos in the book, unfor-

tunately all in black and white. Colours could have

been used throughout the book with advantage,

and in all other modern scientific literature as well

for that matter, in order to make the information

more appealing.

Many of the chapters have new references, some

of them as recent as 2003. A much used reference

in several of the chapters is the EFEMA (Euro-

pean Food Emulsifier Manufacturers Association)

Index of food emulsifiers, a work which contains

extensive information on legal status and also

gives examples of applications and recommended

analytical methods as well as emulsifier specifica-

tions and toxicological data. A new, updated

version of this index, more recent than the

reference in this book, has been issued in 2004

and can be downloaded for free at http://

www.emulsifiers.org/index.php as a small PDF

file. A printed version of the updated index (150

pp.) would be a fine companion for this book on

emulsifiers, which is highly recommendable to

anyone interested in food chemistry and food

technology and wanting to learn more about what

emulsifiers are, how they are made/used and, last

but not least, what functionalities and benefits

they offer in various modern, industrially made

foods.

A. T. Bech

Danisco A/S,

Brabrand,

Denmark

International Journal of Food Science and Technology 2005, 40, 117 117

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.2004.00900.x

� 2005 Institute of Food Science and Technology Trust Fund