ABSTRACT
Nanoemulsions are emulsions with an average droplet size of lower than 200 nm, which can be formulated as oil-in-water or water-in-oil nanodispersions. Due to their reduced average droplet size, they can be much more stable than macroemulsions, as the effects of gravitational forces are less pronounced in the nanometric domain. The reduced droplet size can also lead to the formation of optically transparent dispersions, which can be an advantage in food applications, e.g.., in beverages. The delivery of bioactives, safety, and packaging are among the most studied applications for nanoemulsions in food. As nanoemulsions are thermodynamically unstable systems, they require energy to be formed. Such energy can be supplied by methods classified as high-energy and low-energy methods. This chapter intends to be a contribution for the understading of the low-energy nanoemulsification methods, which have been more studied by food scientists in the last five years. The physical fundamentals of nanoemulsification by the low-energy methods, as well as some food applications, are presented.
