Characteristics of oil in water emulsions formulated with plant-based ingredients and their resulting impact on the properties of liquid beverages

Abstract: For the last decade, the offering for dairy analogue beverages has grown significantly and now fulfill most of the consumer experiences. A key challenge to propose attractive clean label and stable over shelf-life products is to be able to create oil in water emulsions of good quality, without using traditional emulsifiers, like caseinates and/or synthetic emulsifiers.

This presentation focuses on model liquid emulsions formulated with plant-based ingredients and the impact of emulsifiers structures on the stability and performance of the emulsion in plant-based beverages (appearance, taste, texture). In particular, the change in particle size distribution and physical stability measured by an analytical centrifuge shows potential issues of lower whiteness and stability over time. Options to optimize the emulsions properties to deliver improved properties will be finally discussed.