Edible foams stabilized by food-grade polymers

Abstract

Many food products which are consumed on a regular basis, can be categorized as complex colloidal systems that are created by close contact of dispersed and continuous phases. Foams are one such colloidal systems where dispersed air bubbles are incorporated and stabilized in a continuous phase. In principle, foams can be stabilized by use of either low molecular weight surfactants, amphiphilic polymers or surface-active rigid or soft particles. In food products, foams have traditionally being stabilized by biopolymers such as proteins and certain polysaccharides but lately, there has been a tremendous interest in improving the foaming functionality of biopolymers either through physical or chemical modifications and utilizing polymer-based colloidal particles for foam stabilization. The recent understanding and advances in this highly active area of foam stabilization are reviewed in this chapter with the help of illustrative examples.