Optimizing stirred cell membrane emulsification process for making a food-grade multiple emulsion

Abstract

© 2017, Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences. The stirred cell membrane emulsification process that was used to produce a food-grade multiple emulsion was optimized. The produced water-in-oil-in-water emulsion contained garlic ethanol extract water solution-in-pumpkin seed and sunflower oil mixture (1:1 w/w)-in-glucose water solution. A sintered glass filter-disk membrane was employed in the stirred cell device. The transmembrane pressure and the impeller rotational speed values were varied in a range from 0.2 to 1 105 Pa, and in a range from 140 to 1400 rpm, respectively. For the investigated ranges of the process parameters, the primary emulsion flux through the membrane was in a range from 26 to 366 Lm−2 h−1, and the obtained values of the Sauter mean diameter of oil droplets and the span of droplet size distribution was in a range from 45 to 112 μm, and in a range from 0.46 to 1.62, respectively. Optimization procedure was applied to obtain the smallest oil droplets with the narrowest droplet size distribution at the highest flux of the dispersed phase through the membrane.