Effect of Oil–water Surface Area on the Aroma Release Behavior of Mono-dispersed Oil-in-water Emulsions

• Published in: FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH Vol. 26; no. 2; pp. 293 - 298
• Main Authors: Tamaru, Shunji, Noda, Tomoko, Igura, Noriyuki, Shimoda, Mitsuya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tsukuba Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology 2020; The Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Aroma compounds; aroma release rate; Benzaldehyde; Benzoates; Benzyl alcohol; Diameters; droplet diameter; Droplets; Edible oils; emulsion; Emulsions; Ethyl hexanoate; Limonene; Surface area; Terpineol
• ISSN: 1344-6606; 1881-3984
• DOI: 10.3136/fstr.26.293

The size of emulsion droplets can influence the taste and texture of food. Therefore, we investigated the effect of droplet diameter of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions on the aroma release rate from emulsions. O/W emulsions were prepared to droplet sizes of 0.4, 2.0 and 20 µm. The release rates for seven aroma compounds, viz., limonene, ethyl hexanoate, 2-methylpyrazine, benzaldehyde, ethyl benzoate, α-terpineol, and benzyl alcohol, from the O/W emulsions were measured under non-equilibrium. The aroma release rate of 0.4-µm droplets was higher than that of 2.0- and 20-µm emulsion droplets irrespective of their partition coefficients. Aroma compounds in small oil droplets can rapidly diffuse in the water and air phases because a small droplet has a large oil–water surface area. Overall, our findings suggest that small droplet emulsions can be used to release more aroma compounds than large droplet emulsions without changing the emulsion components.