11 Commonly Used Surfactants in Food and Beverage
Food-safe surfactants are essential components in many food and beverage formulations. These substances reduce surface tension between two liquids or a liquid and a solid and play a crucial role in ensuring consistency, texture, and stability in many food products.
Surfactants enhance the mixing of ingredients that would otherwise separate, such as oil and water, making them invaluable in dozens of products. Understanding the importance of surfactants and selecting the right ones for your formulations can significantly impact the quality and safety of the final product.
Here, we’ll explore a handful of the most common food-grade surfactants and detail their properties, common uses, and certifications.
11 Commonly Used Food-Grade Surfactants
Polysorbates
Properties: Polysorbates are emulsifiers derived from sorbitol and ethylene oxide. They enhance the stability of emulsions by improving the solubility of oils in water-based products.
Commonly Used In: Polysorbates are widely used in ice creams, salad dressings, and baked goods for their ability to maintain texture and prevent oil separation. Certain polysorbates also have unique qualities for emulsifying oily compounds in beverages.
Certification: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)
Want that smooth, creamy texture in a perfect scoop of ice cream? Then you want polysorbates. Polysorbates ensure consistent quality and texture in common products like ice creams and dressings. When used in ice cream, they help keep ice cream from melting.
Polysorbate 80 is also widely used for emulsifying flavored beverages, particularly those containing oils (e.g., citrus oils in soft drinks). It is one of the surfactants we have explored in our Spoke Sciences IsoCaps™ formulations to help stabilize poorly water-soluble compounds. It currently is used in the CBD IsoCaps featured in Curēous™ Beverages.
2. Sucrose Esters
Properties: Sucrose esters are emulsifiers derived from sucrose and fatty acids. They improve emulsion stability and texture in baked goods, drinks, and dairy products.
Commonly Used In: Sucrose esters are used extensively in baked goods, confectionery items, and dairy products to enhance texture and stability. They are also widely used as emulsifiers in coffee creamers, fruit juices, and flavored waters.
Certification: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)
First approved for use as a food additive in Japan in 1959, sucrose esters are essential for achieving smooth texture and consistent quality in various food products. Sucrose esters are another core surfactant used in the Spoke Sciences IsoCaps™ formulation that appears in Curēous™ Beverages.
3. Lecithin
Properties: Lecithin is an emulsifier derived from soybeans, eggs, or sunflowers. It consists of phospholipids that facilitate the blending of fats and water.
Commonly Used In: Lecithin is widely used in baked goods, dairy-based beverages, and margarine to improve texture and shelf life.
Certification: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)
Lecithin is highly valued for its ability to stabilize emulsions and improve the mixing of ingredients that would otherwise separate. It is widely used as an emulsifier in dairy-based drinks, protein shakes, and flavored milks. In addition to its multiple applications in food products, lecithin may help build healthy tissue and is under investigation as a therapeutic agent in ulcerative colitis.
4. Glycerol Esters of Wood Rosin (GEWR)
Properties: Glycerol esters of wood rosin (GEWR) is a stabilizer derived from the resin of pine trees. It helps maintain the suspension of essential oils in beverages, preventing them from separating.
Commonly Used In: GEWR is commonly used in citrus-flavored soft drinks and sports drinks to stabilize the mixture and ensure a consistent taste and appearance.
Certification: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)
GEWR is widely used in beverage formulations to stabilize essential oils, especially citrus flavors. It helps suspend these oils in water-based drinks to maintain the product’s uniformity. It plays a crucial role in enhancing the shelf life and quality of citrus-flavored soft drinks and sports drinks
5. Sorbitan Esters
Properties: Sorbitan esters are emulsifiers and stabilizers derived from sorbitol and fatty acids. They help maintain the texture and stability of food products by improving the uniform dispersion of ingredients.
Commonly Used In: Sorbitan esters are commonly used in ice creams, baked goods, and confectionery items.
Certification: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)
Derived from sorbitol, which is found naturally in fruits like peaches and pears, sorbitan esters play a critical role in food processing, particularly in maintaining the smoothness of ice creams and the consistency of baked goods.
6. Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
Properties: Sodium stearoyl lactylate is an emulsifier derived from lactic and stearic acids. It enhances dough elasticity and improves texture in baked goods and whipped toppings.
Commonly Used In: Sodium stearoyl lactylate is used in baked goods and whipped toppings to improve texture and moisture retention.
Certification: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)
Used primarily in bakery applications, sodium stearoyl lactylate helps maintain freshness and consistency in dough products. SSL, as it is commonly referred to in the industry, has overtaken CSL (calcium stearoyl lactylate) as the go-to emulsifier for baked goods.
7. Propylene Glycol Esters
Properties: Propylene glycol esters are emulsifiers and stabilizers derived from propylene glycol and fatty acids. They improve texture and stability in baked goods and whipped toppings.
Commonly Used In: Propylene glycol esters are found in baked goods and whipped toppings to enhance texture and increase shelf life.
Certification: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)
Another surfactant commonly found in the baking aisle, propylene glycol esters help maintain the structure and quality of baked goods, ensuring smooth texture and prolonged freshness. One of the primary effects is that it helps keep powdered ingredients dry.
8. Calcium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate
Properties: Calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate is an emulsifier derived from lactic acid and calcium stearate. It improves texture and shelf life in baked goods, pasta, and confectionery.
Commonly Used In: It’s used in baked goods, pasta products, and confectionery items for its texture-enhancing properties.
Certification: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)
Previously one of the most common emulsifiers found in baked goods, calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate is used primarily for its ability to improve dough texture and extend freshness. It’s valued for its role in enhancing product quality and consumer satisfaction. The introduction of sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL) has challenged calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate’s grip on inclusion in baked goods.
9. Sodium Caseinate
Properties: Sodium caseinate is an emulsifier derived from casein protein found in milk. It improves texture and stability in dairy products, sauces, and soups.
Commonly Used In: Sodium caseinate is used in dairy products, sauces, and soups to enhance creaminess and stability.
Certification: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)
Anyone who has ever tried bulking up through protein powder has probably had sodium caseinate. Sodium caseinate is essential for achieving the desired texture and stability in dairy-based products, ensuring smooth consistency and enhanced flavor.
10. Glycerol Monostearate
Properties: Glycerol monostearate is an emulsifier and thickener derived from glycerol and stearic acid. It improves texture and consistency in baked goods, dairy products, and desserts.
Commonly Used In: It’s used in baked goods, dairy products, and desserts for its texture-enhancing properties.
Certification: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)
If you’ve had some store-bought chocolate recently, chances are you’ve had glycerol monostearate. Glycerol monostearate helps maintain product consistency and quality, ensuring smooth texture and improved shelf stability.
11. Polyglycerol Esters
Properties: Polyglycerol esters are emulsifiers derived from glycerol and fatty acids, enhancing texture and stability in baked goods, margarine, and dairy products.
Commonly Used In: They’re used in baked goods, margarine, and dairy products to improve texture and stability.
Certification: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)
You’ll see this ingredient on the label of margarine and cake batter formulations that do not use fat or oil. Polyglycerol esters are essential for achieving uniform texture and stability in various food products, ensuring consistent quality and consumer satisfaction.
Each emulsifier plays a crucial role in food preparation, ensuring ingredients blend well and products maintain quality throughout their shelf life, all while meeting safety standards for consumer health.
Natural Food Surfactants Comparison Table
| Surfactant | Properties | Commonly Used In |
|---|---|---|
| Polysorbates | Emulsifiers derived from sorbitol and ethylene oxide, used to improve texture and shelf life. | Ice creams, salad dressings, baked goods, and pharmaceuticals. |
| Sucrose Esters | Emulsifiers derived from sucrose and fatty acids, used to improve texture and shelf life. | Baked goods, confectionery items, dairy products, and beverages. |
| Lecithin | An emulsifier derived from soybeans, eggs, or sunflowers, used to improve texture and shelf life. | Baked goods, dairy-based beverages, margarine, and chocolate. |
| Glycerol Esters of Wood Rosin (GEWR) | Stabilizer derived from the resin of pine trees, used to maintain the consistency of beverages. | Citrus-flavored soft drinks and sports drinks. |
| Sorbitan Esters | Emulsifiers and stabilizers derived from sorbitol, used to improve texture and shelf life. | Ice creams, baked goods, and confectionery items. |
| Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate | Emulsifier derived from lactic and stearic acids, used to improve texture and shelf life. | Baked goods and whipped toppings. |
| Propylene Glycol Esters | Emulsifiers and stabilizers derived from propylene glycol, used to improve texture and shelf life. | Baked goods and whipped toppings. |
| Calcium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate | Emulsifier derived from lactic acid and calcium, used to improve texture and shelf life. | Baked goods, pasta products, and confectionery items. |
| Sodium Caseinate | Emulsifier derived from casein protein found in milk, used to improve texture and shelf life. | Dairy products, sauces, and soups. |
| Glycerol Monostearate | Emulsifier and thickener derived from glycerol and stearic acid, used to improve texture and shelf life. | Baked goods, dairy products, and desserts. |
| Polyglycerol Esters | Emulsifiers derived from glycerol and fatty acids, used to improve texture and shelf life. | Baked goods, margarine, and dairy products. |
Food Surfactants: They’re Everywhere & You Might Not Even Know It
Food-safe surfactants are indispensable in food and beverage formulations, ensuring consistency, texture, and stability. Their ability to blend ingredients that would otherwise separate enhances product quality and safety. By understanding and selecting the appropriate surfactants, producers can significantly improve their formulations.
By knowing the properties of common food-grade and natural surfactants, producers can be more thoughtful about the surfactants they select for their products.
Spoke Sciences is at the forefront of surfactant innovation, offering solutions that maximize efficiency and effectiveness. By integrating advanced surfactant technology, formulators can achieve superior results, creating products that stand out in the competitive food and beverage market.