Foams for food applications

Abstract

Numerous food products contain bubbles within their structure which in most cases play an important role either by contributing to the texture of the product or its visual appearance or both. Bubbles, therefore define the texture of commercial products that are sold aerated like bread, wafers, ice cream, chocolate mousse and meringues but are also important elements of products that are foamed in the point of consumption such as cappuccinos, whipped cream, milk shakes and more. At the same time, an increasing interest in incorporating bubbles in foods as a way to reduce their energy density is emerging. Furthermore, foams are structures that can potentially deliver new experiences to consumers from aroma release to visually enhancing traditional products. Consequently, finding ways to further understand how to construct aqueous systems with enhanced foaming properties is of great interest. This chapter will first introduce the basic concepts of foams in terms of structure, production and stability, before exploring the different biopolymer sources and their uses in aqueous food foams in particular, their role in stabilisation, with relevant examples from the literature.