Importance of emulsions in crystallization—applications for fat crystallization

Abstract

Emulsions and crystallization are two independent research topics which normally do not overlap although a combination of the two could be applicable to many areas. Here, the importance of emulsions in the field of fat crystallization is described. Three applications with industrial relevance were chosen for investigation: fat fractionation, the solidification of phase change materials and solid lipid nanoparticles. For fat fractionation and phase change materials, emulsification can be applied as a tool to improve the fat crystallization process, and thus the product quality of the crystallized fat. Furthermore, the use of emulsification creates new application fields such as solid lipid nanoparticles in the area of fat crystallization.

Keywords

emulsion / fat crystallization / phase change material / emulsion fractionation / emulsion solidification

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the work and discussions by Dr. Ing. Javed Iqbal, a former colleague of the working group “Thermal Process Technology.”

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2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg