ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to give a brief outline of what the food microemulsions are, their current state of the art, and potential applications in food. Microemulsions are thermodynamically stable, transparent, and homogeneous single-phase solutions of oil, water, and surfactant. This concept also embraces aqueous micellar solutions containing solubilized lipids and reverse micellar solutions containing solubilized water. The characteristics of a microemulsion that find applications in the food industry are (1) transparent quality, which is helpful in clear beverages and in food analysis; (2) small drop size, which provides excellent contact between the lipid and aqueous phases, thereby playing a role in flavor release and perception; (3) enhanced solubilization of vitamins, flavors, and other nutrients whereby the solubilized components are protected from unwanted degradative reactions; (4) super stability (unaffected by destabilization mechanisms such as creaming, flocculation, and coalescence), which is an added benefit during food processing and storage; and (5) ability to incorporate solutes within the
dispersed droplets and action as reaction and/or extraction media. A disadvantage of the thermodynamic stability is that the microemulsions are formed only in specific ranges of temperature, pressure, and composition. Therefore, the food processor does not have complete freedom in designing the food systems.
