Emulsification of caraway essential oil in water by lecithin and beta-lactoglobulin: emulsion stability and properties of the formed oil-aqueous interface

The stability and droplet size of protein and lipid stabilised emulsions of caraway essential oil as well as the amount of protein on the emulsion droplets have been investigated. The amount of added protein (beta-lactoglobulin) and lipid (phosphatidylcholine from soybean (sb-PC)) were varied and the results compared with those obtained with emulsions of a purified olive oil. In general, emulsions with triglyceride oil proved to be more stable compared with those made with caraway essential oil as the dispersed phase. However, the stability of the emulsions can be improved considerably by adding sb-PC. An increase in the protein concentration also promoted emulsion stability. We will also present how ellipsometry can be used to study the adsorption of the lipid from the oil and the protein from the aqueous phase at the oil-water interface. Independently of the used concentration, close to monolayer coverage of sb-PC was observed at the caraway oil-aqueous interface. On the other hand, at the olive oil-aqueous interface, the presence of only a small amount of sb-PC lead to an exponential increase of the layer thickness with time beyond monolayer coverage. The amounts of beta-lactoglobulin adsorbed at the caraway oil-aqueous interface and at the olive oil-aqueous interface were similar, corresponding roughly to a protein monolayer coverage.     

Effects of spray drying on physicochemical properties of milk protein-stabilised emulsions

The effect of spray drying and reconstitution has been studied for oil-in-water emulsions (20.6% maltodextrin, 20% soybean oil, 2.4% protein, 0.13 M NaCl, pH 6.7) with varying ratios of sodium caseinate and whey protein, but with equal size distribution (d₃₂=0.77 μm). When the concentration of sodium caseinate in the emulsion was high enough to entirely cover the oil–water interface, the particle size distribution was hardly affected by spray drying and reconstitution. However, for emulsions of which the total protein consisted of more than 70% whey protein, spray drying resulted in a strong increase of the droplet size distribution. The adsorbed amount of protein ranged from 3 mg m⁻² for casein-stabilised emulsions to 4 mg m⁻² for whey protein-stabilised emulsions with a maximum of 4.2 mg m⁻² for emulsions containing 80% whey protein on total protein, which means that for all these emulsions about one quarter of the available protein was adsorbed at the oil–water interface. The adsorbed amount of protein was hardly affected by spray drying. After emulsion preparation casein proteins adsorbed preferentially at the oil–water interface. As a result of spray drying, the relative amount of β-lactoglobulin in the adsorbed layer increased strongly at the expense of _s1-casein and β-casein. Percentages of _s2-casein and κ-casein in the adsorbed layer remained largely unchanged. The changes in the protein composition of the adsorbed layer as a result of spray drying and reconstitution were the largest when beforehand hardly any whey protein was present in the adsorbed layer and hardly any sodium caseinate in the aqueous phase. Apparently, during spray drying conditions have been such that β-lactoglobulin could unfold, aggregate, and react with other cystein-containing proteins changing the particle size distribution of the emulsions and the composition of the adsorbed layer. It seemed, however, that non-adsorbed sodium caseinate in some way was able to protect the adsorbed casein proteins from being displaced by aggregating whey protein.     

The rheology of lupin seed (Lupinus albus ssp. graecus) protein isolate films at the corn oil–water interface

Lupin seed protein isolates adsorbed at the corn oil–water interface formed, after long ageing times, interfacial films with viscoelastic properties. The viscoelastic parameters of the films, derived by analysis of creep compliance–time curves, were markedly influenced by the aqueous phase protein concentrations, pH, ageing time and isolate preparation methods. Instantaneous elastic modulus, E₀(s), showed maxima at a certain concentration which probably corresponded to monolayer saturation coverage and at pH 5.5, i.e. near to its isoelectric point, where the protein molecules are in a more compact form than at other pH values. The full fat lupin seed protein fractions gave the highest viscoelasticity values under all conditions and this in turn have an effect on the corresponding emulsion/foam stability.     

Physical properties of diglycerol esters in relation to rheology and stability of protein-stabilised emulsions

The surface activity and lyotropic phase behaviour of concentrated diglycerol-esters of fatty acids with chain length of C14, C16, C18 and C18:1 (cis-oleic acid) are investigated. Diglycerol-esters show a much stronger reduction in the interfacial tension at a low concentration (0.01–0.1%) than corresponding monoglycerides. The diglycerol-esters form lamellar mesophases above their Krafft point, and no other types of mesophases are found in the temperature region examined (0–80°C). The lamellar phases show a limited swelling capacity, corresponding to a water layer thickness of ≈24 Å, which is found when the ratio of diglycerol-ester to water is 60:40, or lower. At high water concentrations (>90%) multi-lamellar liposomes are formed. The diglycerol-monooleate form lamellar phases in water in the temperature region from zero to 80°C. This is in strong contrast to the corresponding glycerol-monooleate, which forms cubic and reversed hexagonal mesophases in water. Oil in water emulsions are stabilised by diglycerol-esters by formation of liquid crystalline interfacial films around the oil droplets, which can be seen in polarised light microscopy. In presence of milk proteins in the aqueous phase the emulsion stability is depending on the protein to emulsifier ratio. At 40°C a mixed interfacial film of diglycerol-monooleate (DIGMO) and protein is present at the oil–water interface, but when cooled to 5°C, the proteins are displaced by DIGMO. This behaviour affects the stability and rheological properties of emulsions stored at low temperatures.     

Effects of milk protein type and pre-heating on physical stability of whipped and frozen emulsions

Various milk protein mixtures were used to manufacture complex emulsions differing by their total protein concentration (1, 2.25 and 3.5%) and by their weight proportion of casein (from 0 to 75%) or whey proteins (WP) (containing from 10 to 80% β-lactoglobulin). Beside those changes in protein concentration and composition, impact of milk protein heat treatment, which was applied before emulsification, was also investigated. The resulting structuration effects on the corresponding emulsions were determined through changes in the particle size distribution and in the amount of adsorbed protein at the fat globule surface. Furthermore, fat destabilisation under a whipping and freezing steps was underlined as functions of the processing parameters (protein concentration and composition, and application or not of an additional heat treatment), and it was discussed in terms of the resulting amount of displaced protein from the oil–water interface.     

Formulation–composition map of a lecithin-based emulsion

Formulation–composition map is an interesting tool to predict the nature of an emulsion, stability, viscosity and nevertheless to decide the mixing protocol of its ingredients. Information based on optimum formulation (environmental conditions at which the affinity of an emulsifier for oil and for aqueous phase is same), which is depicted through hydrophilic–lipophilic deviation (HLD) concept, is necessary to make a formulation–composition map of an emulsion. In order to apply this concept in food emulsions, it is necessary to determine characteristic constants of each component of the system, i.e. the aqueous phase, the oil phase and the emulsifier at equilibrium. In this work formulation–composition map of a sunflower oil–water–lecithin system, based on the knowledge of phase behavior of lecithin at equilibrium and emulsification, was made. The shape of inversion line on formulation–composition map was not the classical stair type rather an almost vertical inversion line at water-fraction (f_w) near 0.20 was observed. It was supposed to be linked to the viscosity of oil phase which was 50 times the viscosity of aqueous phase. Additionally, emulsions were of oil-in-water (O/W) type for f_w higher than 0.20, but their viscosity and the drop size behavior with respect to salt concentration as formulation variable did not show the existence of transitional inversion line on formulation–composition map. Such map in advance can certainly facilitate the guidelines for dynamic emulsification.     

Effects of petroleum resins on asphaltene aggregation and water-in-oil emulsion formation

Asphaltenes from four crude oils were fractionated by precipitation in mixtures of heptane and toluene. Solubility profiles generated in the presence of resins (1:1 mass ratio) indicated the onset of asphaltene precipitation occurred at lower toluene volume fractions (0.1–0.2) than without resins. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) was performed on solutions of asphaltene fractions in mixtures of heptane and toluene with added resins to determine aggregate sizes. Water-in-oil emulsions of asphaltene–resin solutions were prepared and separated by a centrifuge method to determine the vol.% water resolved. In general, the addition of resins to asphaltenes reduced the aggregate size by disrupting the π–π and polar bonding interactions between asphaltene monomers. Interaction of resins with asphaltenic aggregates rendered the aggregates less interfacially active and thus reduced emulsion stability. The smallest aggregate sizes observed and the weakest emulsion stability at high resin to asphaltene (R/A) ratios presumably corresponded to asphaltenic monomers or small oligomers strongly interacting with resin molecules. It was often observed that, in the absence of resins, the more polar or higher molecular weight asphaltenes were insoluble in solutions of heptane and toluene. The addition of resins dissolved these insolubles and aggregate size by SANS increased until the solubility limit was reached. This corresponded approximately to the point of maximum emulsion stability. Asphaltene chemistry plays a vital role in dictating emulsion stability. The most polar species typically required significantly higher resin concentrations to disrupt asphaltene interactions and completely destabilize emulsions. Aggregation and film formation are likely driven by polar heteroatom interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, which allow asphaltenes to absorb, consolidate, and form cohesive films at the oil–water interface.     

Spreading of partially crystallized oil droplets on an air/water interface

The influence of crystalline fat on the amount and rate of oil spreading out of emulsion droplets onto either a clean or a protein-covered air/water interface was measured for β-lactoglobulin stabilized emulsions prepared with either anhydrous milk fat or a blend of hydrogenated palm fat and sunflower oil. At a clean interface, liquid oil present in the emulsion droplets was observed to completely spread out of the droplets unimpeded by the presence of a fat crystal network. Further, the presence of a fat crystal network in the emulsion droplets had no effect on the rate of oil spreading out of the droplets. At a protein-covered interface, the spreading behavior of emulsion droplets containing crystalline fat was evaluated in terms of the value of the surface pressure (Π_AW) at the point of spreading; Π_AW at spreading was unaffected by the presence of crystalline fat. We conclude it is unlikely that the role of crystalline fat in stabilizing aerated emulsions such as whipped cream is to reduce oil spreading at the air/water interface. However, the temperature of the system did have an effect: spontaneous spreading of emulsion droplets at clean air/water interfaces occurred for systems measured at 5 °C, but not for those measured at 22 or 37 °C. Thus, temperature may play a more important role in the whipping process than commonly thought: the entering and spreading of emulsion droplets was favored at lower temperatures because the surface pressure exerted by protein adsorbed at the air/water interface was reduced. This effect may facilitate the whipping process.     

Freeze–thaw stability of water-in-oil emulsions

Factors influencing water-in-oil emulsion stability during freeze/thaw-cycling, namely interfacial crystallization vs. network crystallization and the sequence of crystallization events (i.e., dispersed vs. continuous phase or vice versa), are assessed. We show that destabilization is most apparent with a liquid-state emulsifier and a continuous oil phase that solidifies prior to the dispersed phase. Emulsions stable to F/T-cycling are obtained when the emulsifier crystallizes at the oil–water interface or in emulsions where the continuous phase crystallizes after the dispersed aqueous phase. The materials used are two food-grade oil-soluble emulsifiers – polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and glycerol monostearin (GMS) and two continuous oil phases with differing crystallization temperatures – canola oil and coconut oil. Emulsion stability is assessed with pulsed field gradient NMR droplet size analysis, sedimentation, microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. This study demonstrates the sequence of crystallization events and the physical state of the surfactant at the oil–water interface strongly impact the freeze–thaw stability of water-in-oil emulsions.     

Competitive adsorption between egg yolk lipoproteins and whey proteins on oil-in-water interfaces

Adsorption characteristics of mixtures of egg yolk lipoproteins and whey protein isolate (WPI) were studied in emulsions (20% oil, v/v 0.5% protein, w/v pH 7.0) made with pure triolein or n-tetradecane. Emulsions stabilized by granule lipoproteins (GLP) or low-density lipoproteins (LDL) had smaller particle sizes than emulsions stabilized by WPI. In protein mixtures containing egg yolk lipoproteins and WPI, there was a decrease in particle size with increased concentration of the yolk lipoproteins. The reduction in particle size of emulsions was greater when WPI was mixed with LDL than with GLP, for both n-tetradecane and triolein. Emulsions made with triolein had smaller particle sizes than those made with n-tetradecane, irrespective of the type or ratio of lipoproteins used. Therefore, the protein concentration per unit area of the interface was greater for emulsions containing n-tetradecane than for triolein. In displacement experiments, emulsions made with only WPI were mixed with 0.1 and 0.5% GLP or LDL for a given period of time and the relative concentrations of β-lactoglobulin and -lactalbumin determined. Displacement of β-lactoglobulin by LDL increased with time and was greater in emulsions made with n-tetradecane than with triolein. However, displacement of β-lactoglobulin by GLP was greater in emulsions made with triolein than with n-tetradecane. -lactalbumin was completely displaced from the interface within 1 min of addition of either 0.5% GLP or LDL, whereas addition of 0.1% GLP or LDL resulted only in a partial displacement. The results suggest that egg yolk lipoproteins are more surface active than WPI and that LDL penetrates the n-tetradecane–water interface more than GLP, while GLP penetrates the triolein–water interface more than LDL.     

Effects of mucin addition on the stability of oil–water emulsions

In this work, bovine submaxillary gland mucin (BSM) was used as an emulsifier to stabilize oil–water emulsion systems. Prior to use, commercial BSM was purified by jacalin affinity chromatography. Emulsions consisting of 5% mineral oil in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) were prepared through the addition of different amounts of purified mucin followed by sonication using either of two methods: (1) low energy input for a long time (2 h), or (2) high energy input for a short time (20 s). The surfactancy property of mucin was investigated by surface tension measurements, which showed the BSM to greatly reduce the surface tension of PBS. Compared to several synthetic surfactants of the Pluronic® type, mucin showed comparable or better surface activity than F68, F88 and F108 products in dilute solutions. The formed emulsions had a mean droplet size that decreased monotonically with increasing concentration of mucin until a plateau was reached at concentrations around 0.1% by weight. The stability of these emulsions was evaluated by monitoring their average droplet size during a 33-day period. Emulsions with more than 0.25% mucin showed a constant mean size throughout the period. Specifically, an emulsion produced with 0.95% mucin showed a stable mean droplet size of about 300 nm. The stability of the mucin-emulsified systems was also evaluated by measuring turbidity changes with time, which allowed a comparison with similar emulsions stabilized by the Pluronic® surfactants in the same concentration. Thus, mucin showed its ability to establish more stable and more efficient oil–water emulsion systems. Since mucin is a glycoprotein, and hence biodegradable, our results suggest that mucin might serve as an ideal biological surfactant for the stabilization of emulsion systems intended for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications.     

Towards predicting the stability of protein-stabilized emulsions

The protein concentration is known to determine the stability against coalescence during formation of emulsions. Recently, it was observed that the protein concentration also influences the stability of formed emulsions against flocculation as a result of changes in the ionic strength. In both cases, the stability was postulated to be the result of a complete (i.e. saturated) coverage of the interface. By combining the current views on emulsion stability against coalescence and flocculation with new experimental data, an empiric model is established to predict emulsion stability based on protein molecular properties such as exposed hydrophobicity and charge. It was shown that besides protein concentration, the adsorbed layer (i.e. maximum adsorbed amount and interfacial area) dominates emulsion stability against coalescence and flocculation. Surprisingly, the emulsion stability was also affected by the adsorption rate. From these observations, it was concluded that a completely covered interface indeed ensures the stability of an emulsion against coalescence and flocculation. The contribution of adsorption rate and adsorbed amount on the stability of emulsions was combined in a surface coverage model. For this model, the adsorbed amount was predicted from the protein radius, surface charge and ionic strength. Moreover, the adsorption rate, which depends on the protein charge and exposed hydrophobicity, was approximated by the relative exposed hydrophobicity (Q_H). The model in the current state already showed good correspondence with the experimental data, and was furthermore shown to be applicable to describe data obtained from literature.     

Structures and stability of lipid emulsions formulated with sodium caseinate

The physicochemical properties of emulsions play an important role in food systems as they directly contribute to texture, sensory and nutritional properties of foods. Sodium caseinate (NaCas) is a well-used ingredient because of its good solubility and emulsifying properties and its stability during heating. One of most significant aspects of any food emulsion is its stability. Among the methods used to study emulsion stability it may be mentioned visual observation, ultrasound profiling, microscopy, droplet size distribution, small deformation rheometry, measurement of surface concentration to characterize adsorbed protein at the interface, nuclear magnetic resonance, confocal microscopy, diffusing wave spectroscopy, and turbiscan. They have advantages and disadvantages and provide different insights into the destabilization mechanisms. Related to stability, the aspects more deeply investigated were the amount of NaCas used to prepare the emulsion, and specially the oil-to-protein ratio, the mobility of oil droplets and the interactions among emulsion components at the interface. It is known that the amount of protein required to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions depends, not only on the structure of protein at the interface, and the average diameters of the emulsion droplets, but also on the type of oils and the composition of the aqueous phase. Several authors have investigated the effect of a thickening agent or of a surface active molecule. Factors such as pH, temperature, and processing conditions during emulsion preparation are also very relevant to stability. There is a general agreement among authors that the most stable systems are obtained for conditions that produce size reduction of the droplets, an increase in viscosity of the continuous phase and structural changes in emulsions such as gelation. All these conditions decrease the molecular mobility and slow down phase separation.     

Adsorption at the air-water interface and emulsification properties of grain legume protein derivatives from pea and broad bean

Functional properties of native and modified (through induced autolysis) pea (Pisum sativum L.) and broad bean (Vicia faba L.) protein derivatives are studied. In specific, protein solubility and behavior at the air–water interface through surface pressure measurements are investigated. Furthermore the ability of the protein products to act as emulsifying agents and to stabilize emulsions is studied through oil droplet size distribution measurements and by the protein adsorbed at the oil–water interface. The data reveal that the ability of the proteins to act as surfactants and build up a rigid film around the oil droplets, mainly depends on their suitable molecular configuration and structure. Hydrolysis did not promote the functionality of the legume proteins. Broad bean exhibited better functionality than pea, before and after hydrolysis. Some comparisons were also made with lupin (Lupinus albus L.) protein isolate.     

Surface properties of hen egg yolk low-density lipoproteins spread at the air–water interface

Hen egg yolk is largely used as food ingredient notably because of its exceptional emulsifying properties. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are the main egg yolk constituent. LDL and particularly apoLDL are thought to control largely emulsifying properties of egg yolk-based products. Nevertheless, few studies have concerned the interfacial behaviour of these lipoproteins at the oil–water interface and nothing has been published about the air–water interface. Controversies still remain about LDL adsorption mechanism at the oil–water interface even if a widely spread theory suggests their breaking at the interface, allowing then their constituents to spread. The Langmuir film balance and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used in this study in the aim to characterise LDL surface behaviour in dynamic conditions at the air–water interface. The understanding of LDL adsorption mechanism and surface organisation at the air–water interface should provide useful information about LDL behaviour at the oil–water interface. LDL and lipids extracted from LDL—neutral lipids, phospholipids and total lipids (mixture of the two previous species)—were spread at the air–water interface to clarify the role of each constituent in the lipoprotein film. Results clearly show that LDL are disrupted at the interface to release notably neutral lipids from the lipoprotein core, enabling then their spreading. Each lipid class has been identified on the LDL film isotherm and seems to behave independently and individually at the interface within the lipoprotein film.     

Spray-dried oil powder with ultrahigh oil content

We report a new facile route to the production of solid oil powders with an oil weight content of as high as 90% or beyond. The proposed method starts from a standard protein-stabilized oil-in-water emulsion in which a protein monolayer absorbed at the oil-water interface is successively cross linked by a thermal treatment. The emulsion is then spray dried as for ordinary emulsions, however without the addition of hydrocolloids typically needed when spray drying liquid oil dispersions. This leads to a final solid oil powder in which the total mass is constituted of oil, proteins, and eventual buffer salts and in which the elasticity of the cross-linked protein monolayer is alone sufficient to stabilize the powder and to limit any oil leakage. To best illustrate the potential in food applications and to preserve the food-grade nature of the constituents, we have used thermal denaturation at 80 °C for 15 min to cross link a β-lactoglobulin-stabilized olive oil-in-water emulsion and to produce the corresponding solid oil powder. Because of the simplicity and flexibility of the proposed pathway, the present method can be used inexpensively to convert any type of hydrophobic liquid into the corresponding solid powder and is then particularly suitable for cosmetic, pharmaceutical, medical, biotechnological, and food applications.     

Effect of the type of the oil phase on stability of highly concentrated water-in-oil emulsions

The water-in-oil high internal phase emulsions were the subject of the study. The emulsions consisted of a super-cooled aqueous solution of inorganic salt as a dispersed phase and industrial grade oil as a continuous phase. The influence of the industrial grade oil type on a water-in-oil high internal phase emulsion stability was investigated. The stability of emulsions was considered in terms of the crystallization of the dispersed phase droplets (that are super-cooled aqueous salt solution) during ageing. The oils were divided into groups: one that highlighted the effect of oil/aqueous phase interfacial tension and another that investigated the effect of oil viscosity on the emulsion rheological properties and shelf-life. For a given set of experimental conditions the influence of oil viscosity for the emulsion stability as well as the oil/aqueous interfacial tension plays an important role. Within the frames of our experiment it was found that there are oil types characterized by optimal parameters: oil/aqueous phase interfacial tension being in the region of 19–24 mN/m and viscosity close to 3 mPa s; such oils produced the most stable high internal phase emulsions. It was assumed that the oil with optimal parameters kept the critical micelle concentration and surfactant diffusion rate at optimal levels allowing the formation of a strong emulsifier layer at the interface and at the same time creating enough emulsifier micelles in the inter-droplet layer to prevent the droplet crystallization.     

Spreading of oil from protein stabilised emulsions at air/water interfaces

Spreading of a drop of an emulsion made with milk proteins on air/water interfaces was studied. From an unheated emulsion, all oil molecules could spread onto the air/water interface, indicating that the protein layers around the oil globules in the emulsion droplet were not coherent enough to withstand the forces involved in spreading. Heat treatment (90 °C) of emulsions made with whey protein concentrate (WPC) or skim milk powder reduced the spreadability, probably because polymerisation of whey protein at the oil/water interface increased the coherence of the protein layer. Heat treatment of emulsions made with WPC and monoglycerides did not reduce spreadability, presumably because the presence of the monoglycerides at the oil/water interface prevented a substantial increase of coherence of the protein layer. Heat treatment of caseinate-stabilised emulsions had no effect on the spreadability. If proteins were already present at the air/water interface, oil did not spread if the surface tension (γ) was <60 mN/m. We introduced a new method to measure the rate at which oil molecules spread from the oil globules in the emulsion droplet by monitoring changes in γ at various positions in a ‘trough’. The spreading rates observed for the various systems agree very well with the values predicted by the theory. Spreading from oil globules in a drop of emulsion was faster than spreading from a single oil drop, possibly due to the greater surface tension gradient between the oil globule and the air/water interface or to the increased oil surface area. Heat treatment of an emulsion made with WPC did not affect the spreading rate. The method was not suitable for measuring the spreading rate at interfaces where surface active material is already present, because changes in γ then were caused by compression of the interfacial layer rather than by the spreading oil.     

Density fractionated hollow silica microspheres with high-yield by non-polymeric sol–gel/emulsion route

Hollow silica microspheres were synthesized by non-polymeric sol–gel/emulsion technique using tetra ethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a source of silica. A sol mixture of TEOS, water, ethanol and acid was emulsified in a solution of light paraffin oil and surfactant (Span-80). Calcined spheres were density fractionated between density ranges: <1.0, 1.0–1.594, 1.594–1.74 and >1.74 g cm⁻³. The samples were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and laser diffraction size analyzer. Spheres of densities lower than 1.74 g cm⁻³ were found to be hollow as observed from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and their yield was maximized to 100% by using a specific TEOS volume ratio with respect to volumes of surfactant and oil. Decreasing the calcination temperature from 700 to 500 °C enhances the yield of hollow spheres emphasizing importance of slower diffusion kinetics at lower calcination temperature. Outer diameters of spheres were between 5 and 60 μm with mean diameter expectedly increasing with increase in TEOS sol volume and with decrease in sphere density. It is proposed that silica shells form via hydrolysis and polycondensation at oil–water/ethanol interface in the water-in-oil emulsion, which subsequently form hollow spheres on removal of water–ethanol during calcination.     

Characterisation of spray-dried emulsions with mixed fat phases

Fat encapsulation in spray-dried protein-stabilised emulsions is known to depend on the choice of protein, the emulsion droplet size, and the melting point of the fat. However, the fat encapsulation may also depend on the fat crystal habit. Fats may crystallise in three different forms , β′ and β, of which the β-form is thermodynamically stable. The -form is obtained in rapidly cooled fats, and it can then transform into the β′-form during storage, and this crystal form is finally transformed into the β-form. In order to investigate the effect of different fat phases on the spray-dried emulsions, two solid fats were studied: fully hardened rapeseed oil (β-stable) and fully hardened palm oil (β′-stable). The solid fats were used on their own or in mixtures with rapeseed oil, in order to provide fat phases with different properties. The emulsion composition was chosen as to mimic the composition of whole milk, i.e. 40% lactose, 30% sodium caseinate and 30% fat on a dry weight basis. The dried powders were stored under dry conditions at 4 or 37 °C in order to investigate the changes in the fat crystals and surface composition of the powders with time. The surface composition was analysed using electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis. Evaluation of the data showed that surface coverage of fat varied depending on the composition of the fat phase. The ratio of lactose to protein remained constant, which implies that the fat was present as ‘islands’ on a surface composed of lactose and protein. The hardened palm oil crystallised initially in the - or β′-form (depending on the ratio of hardened fat to oil), and during storage, the crystal form gradually changed into the β′-form. In powders containing hardened rapeseed oil only the stable β-form was found, even in fresh samples. The surface coverage of fat was reduced after storage, whereas the ratio of lactose to protein at the surface remained unchanged. The emulsion droplet size in emulsions prepared at a low homogenisation pressure was considerably increased after spray-drying and reconstitution, whilst the emulsion droplet size was well preserved in emulsions prepared at high homogenisation pressure.