Low shear-rate process to obtain transparent W/O fine emulsions as functional foods

Edible transparent emulsions of the water-in-oil (W/O) type are highly sought after and currently not available. In such materials, the water droplets can be advantageously used as reservoirs to encapsulate biologically active hydrophilic substances (minerals, antioxidants, etc.). The emulsions must remain transparent, fluid and kinetically stable to meet consumers' requirements. In this paper, we describe a simple yet versatile process to fabricate food grade transparent W/O emulsions. Our method involves the preparation of coarse emulsions which are submitted to shear under laminar flow conditions to reduce their average droplet size. The process generates negligible heat and consequently, it preserves the integrity of thermally sensitive compounds. The obtained emulsions contain between 5 and 10 wt.% of aqueous droplets whose average droplet size is lower than 200 nm. They are kinetically stable for at least 2 months. Transparency results from the relatively low droplet size and the incorporation in the aqueous phase of hydrophilic solutes that decrease the refractive index mismatch between the two immiscible phases.