Basic role of emulsifiers:

1, surfactant, reduce interfacial tension, the formation of a protective film on the surface of the dispersed phase.

2, emulsification.

3, foaming effect.

4, suspension.

5, emulsion breaking and defoaming.

6, complexation.

7, crystallization control.

8, wetting action.

9, lubrication.

Food emulsifier: added to food can significantly reduce the interfacial tension between oil and water, so that immiscible oil (hydrophobic substances) and water (hydrophilic substances) to form a stable emulsion of food additives.

Extended information:

Harms of food emulsifiers

A study published in the journal Nature on February 25, 2015 found that there are two common emulsifiers in the ice cream, chocolate bars, and other packaged foods that we come into contact with on a daily basis: carboxy[suō]methylcellulose (CMC) and polysorbate-80 (P-80), which may cause certain chronic inflammatory diseases when they enter the human body.

Researchers who fed the two emulsifiers to mice found an increased incidence of metabolic disease and enteritis. This phenomenon is still a long way from being verified in humans, but the researchers noted that the way these ingredients cause harm to the body is by breaking down the barrier between the immune system and the microflora, which is also present in the human gut.

Gut microbes help us fight off infections and allergic reactions, but we don't want them to come into contact with the gut mucosa. Normally, a layer of mucus separates the gut flora from the intestinal cells, but if the bacteria come into contact with the intestinal cells, they can stimulate the immune system, which can cause an inflammatory response.

This uncontrollable inflammation of the digestive tract is the hallmark of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which can lead to diarrhea, malaise, and abdominal pain. Chronic inflammation has also been linked to the development of metabolic syndrome. Symptoms of metabolic syndrome include obesity and high blood pressure, which increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

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