Hi... Currently I am developing RTD milk coffee. As I read on article, the low molecular weight surfactant can replace protein from the surface of fat droplet. Indeed it can reduce the fat droplet size better than protein in the beginning, but the stability of the emulsion will be less during storage. Then this several question arose in my mind:
1. if we have enough protein in the system, does it mean that the additional LMW emulsifier is not necessary?
2. In case there is no enough protein, does the addition of protein (such is in the form of sodium caseinate) is a better choice than LMW emulsifier?
Thank you in advance for your answer! :)
Normally one would expect that the smaller fat droplets would let to a better stability. However it is possible that the LMW may also unfold/denature some of your casein which may then aggregate. Stability is also a vague concept, versus time, versus temperature, versus pH, versus additives,... You have a complex system and it is probably best to test it experimentally to optimize LMW and or extra protein. You may find this of interest Article The Effect of Food-Grade Low-Molecular-Weight Surfactants an...
You may also look at this post https://www.materials-talks.com/blog/2012/01/17/dispersion-stability-what-is-important/
I once made a stable flavor emulsion based on the formulation of Bailey's Irish cream, so caseinate as a stabilizer with sodium citrate to complex calcium and ethanol to prevent microorganisms. It worked really well. Small droplets too. It was successfully produced in 100's of kg quantities. So low molecular surfactants are not always necessary, but as Ulf said, it depends on your exact constraints, as always.
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