Paper No.

: 04 Unit Operations in Food Processing

Module : 31 Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization

Development Team
Principal Investigator Prof. (Mrs.) Vijaya Khader, Ph.D
Former Dean, Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University
Dr. Vijaya Khader
Former Dean, Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University
Paper Coordinator Er. Dibyakanta Seth
Asst. Professor, Tezpur University, Assam

Content Writer Er. Dibyakanta Seth

Asst. Professor, Tezpur University, Assam

Prof. (Mrs.) Vijaya Khader, Ph.D

Content Reviewer Former Dean, Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University
Dr. MC Varadaraj , Chief Scientist CSIR-CFTRI, Mysore
Dr. Vijaya Khader
Dr. MC Varadaraj

Unit Operations in Food Processing

Food Technology
Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization
 Description of Module

Subject Name Food Technology

Paper Name 04 Unit Operations in Food Processing

Module Name/Title Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization

Module Id FT/UOFP/31

Pre-requisites -

Objectives To enable students to select a proper homogenization device for different food use
by giving them sufficient indepth knowledge on the principle and operation of
homogenizer.
Keywords Homogenization, emulsion, power density, homogenization efficiency

Unit Operations in Food Processing

Food Technology
Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization
 31.1 Introduction
So far we have discussed about the size reduction of solid food materials and the machinery associated
with the size reduction of solid food materials. In this module we shall discuss about the size reduction of food
components in liquid form. There are various techniques by which the immiscible liquids or solid-liquid are been
able to kept in dispersed form. Emulsion is the mixture of two liquid or solid-liquid components which are in
dispersed phase i.e. they are thoroughly mixed to each other; however, they are not chemically bonded. The
process by which emulsion is formed is called emulsifying or emulsification. We shall discuss the emulsification
procedures in subsequent sections. Homogenization is the process of breaking of food components such that they
form a stable emulsion. We shall discuss the mechanism of homogenization, types of homogenizers used in food
industries, application of homogenization and the effect of homogenization in final product in this module.

31.2 Emulsification
Emulsification is the process by which two immiscible liquids or solid-liquid can be dispersed one into
the other by severe mixing, stirring and beating. Most often, in food system we see immiscible liquids like water
and oil. Milk is a very common example of emulsion of water and oil. In emulsion we see that one liquid is in
dispersed phase and the other one in continuous phase. The character of emulsion is mainly determined by its
continuous phase. Based on the phases, emulsions are categorised into two types. One is oil in water (O-W)
emulsion and the other one is water in oil (W-O) emulsion.

Dispersed Phase
Dispersed
(Water)Phase (Oil)
Continuous
Continuous
phase (Oil)
phase (Water)

Fig.31.1 (b) W-O

Fig.31.1 (a)Emulsion
O-W Emulsion

Examples: O-W emulsion: milk, cream, mayonnaise, ice cream

W-O emulsion: butter
31.2.1 Mechanism of emulsification
In food product development, many food emulsions are developed combining two or more liquids which
are not miscible to each other. To characterize the food emulsion in terms of physicochemical and sensory
properties one need to know the concentration of ingredients the raw material contains, the droplet size of the
immiscible components so that a proper method of emulsifying can be chosen. There are many factors which are
responsible for the stability of emulsion. They are;
i. interfacial tension between the two phases,
ii. size of the dispersed phase droplets,

Unit Operations in Food Processing

Food Technology
Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization
 iii. viscous properties of continuous phase, and
iv. density difference between two phases
v. type and quantity of emulsifying agents

The stability of an emulsion depends on the shape of the droplets; an irregular shaped droplet has more surface
area to interact with the other droplet and higher affinity to coalesce. In contrary, a spherical droplet minimizes
the surface area. The interfacial forces responsible for making the droplet in to spherical form is characterized by
Laplace pressure (∆𝑃𝐿 ) which acts across the oil-water interface toward the centre of droplet so that the inside
droplet pressure is higher than that of outside pressure.
4𝛾
∆𝑃𝐿 = 𝐷
… (31.1)

Where, γ is the interfacial tension between oil and water, D is the droplet diameter. The equation indicates that,
the pressure required to disrupt a particle increases with increase of Laplace pressure or interfacial tension between
the two phases and decrease of droplet diameter. So, an emulsion is able to get stabilised when the interfacial
tension is less. The continuous phase’s viscosity plays a major role in the way the dispersed particles deform.
Higher the viscosity of continuous phase, higher is the shearing action imparted on the droplet. The relationship
between the shear stress and interfacial tension is characterised by a number called Weber number (𝑊𝑒 ).
𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑠 −1 𝜇𝐷
𝑊𝑒 = 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 2𝛾
… (31.2)

Where, s-1 is the shear rate, µ the viscosity, D the diameter of

droplet and γ the interfacial tension. A critical Weber number can
be defined for a particular system where the values are just stable
to disrupt. A Weber number above the critical value means the
droplet disrupts. In other words, if the shear rate is more or if the
diameter of particle is more, there is acute chance of
disruption. Coalescence of particles is hindered by increasing the
viscosity of the continuous phase. The lesser the density Fig.31.2 Profile of droplet disruption due to
difference between the two phases(𝜌𝑤 − 𝜌𝑜 ), lesser is the shear force
chance of separation. The physical stability of an emulsion
is governed by Stoke’s law.
𝑔𝐷2 (𝜌𝑤 −𝜌𝑜 )
𝑣= 18𝜇
… (31.3)

As a whole, the stability of emulsion is a described by the lower density differences, lower interfacial tension and
higher viscosity of continuous phase. The disruption force required can be found out by Weber number.
31.2.2 Emulsifiers
Since, the dispersed droplet tend to coalesce, most of the emulsions cannot remain in stable form and eventually
separates from each other. Addition of a third substance which makes the emulsion stable is called emulsifier.
Emulsifier reduces the interfacial tension between the droplets and help to create large surface area of the dispersed
phase by forming a protective coating around the droplet. The characteristics of emulsifier can be explained by its
4

Unit Operations in Food Processing

Food Technology
Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization
 bi-polar nature viz. polar and non-polar groups. The polar group (hydrophilic) orients towards the water phase and
the non-polar groups (lypophilic) orients towards the oil phase, thus makes an inter-link between the two phases
by not allowing them to coalesce.
The most common examples of emulsifiers are lecithin, phosphate, glycerol monostearate, etc.
31.3 Homogenization
Many food systems are prepared from the two phases viz. oil and water. Vitamins, colorants, surfactants etc. are
mixed in water phase of food to form a food system. Likewise protein, polysaccharides, sugars, salts etc. are mixed
with oil phase. The process of converting separate oil and water phases to a stable emulsion is called
homogenization. The mechanical device used to prepare the emulsion is called homogenizer. Basically,
homogenization is categorized into primary homogenization and secondary homogenization based on the nature
of the starting material. If the emulsion is formed directly from the two separate liquids, the process is called
primary homogenization. Preparation of salad dressing by mixing aqueous phase and oil is an example of primary
homogenization. In an existing emulsion, if the droplet size of the dispersed phase is further reduces, the process
is called secondary homogenization. In raw milk, fat globule size is reduced to less than 1 µm to form a stable
emulsion. This is an example of secondary homogenization. In most food processing operations, the secondary
homogenization is mostly done to form a stable emulsion where, the separate oil and water phases are made in to
a course emulsion followed by further reduction of the droplet size.
The two separate phases oil and water tend to be in a thermodynamically stable state where the contact area
between the two phases is minimum. Since, the density of oil is less than that of aqueous phase, oil form the top
layer. To make an emulsion, the liquids are shaken vigorously so that the oil phase disrupts and intermingled with
water phase. The oil droplets formed continuously move around and coalesce with other droplets, thus forming
larger droplets. As this process continues, the larger droplets move upward and form a separate layer. As a
consequence, the emulsion reverts back to the original form. The hydrophobicity of oil is making the system
stable.
31.3.1 Mechanism of homogenization
The fat globule passes through a narrow slit, whose diameter is just larger than that of the fat globule. Due to high
pressure and narrow slit a shear force is developed which acts in opposite direction of the flow. The surface of the
globule becomes wavy and eventually breaks into droplets. Intense research has been done on the mechanism of
homogenization, however, exact mechanism is not known. Micro turbulence and cavitation are the two most
accepted mechanism of homogenization.
Turbulence
Turbulence occurs when flow rate of fluid exceeds a critical limit. Small eddies are generated due to turbulence
which is characterised by rapid and chaotic fluctuations of velocity of fluid. The eddies thus formed disrupt the
oil droplets due to its large shear and pressure gradient. The size of the eddy depends on the velocity of flow and
the viscosity of the liquid. The smaller the size of the eddy, higher is the shear and pressure gradient. So, it is
interpreted that larger eddies are less effective than the smaller eddies. However, very small eddies are also
ineffective because maximum energy is dissipated through viscous losses rather than through droplet disruption.
For isotropic turbulent condition, the Weber number is given by;
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Unit Operations in Food Processing

Food Technology
Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization
 𝑇𝑢𝑟𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝐶 𝜌𝑐 1/3 𝜀 2/3 𝑑 5/3
𝑊𝑒 = 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 = 4𝛾
(31.4)

Where, C is a constant related to critical Weber number, ρc is the density of continuous phase and ε is the power
density. Under isotropic turbulent condition, the maximum size of droplet that can persist during homogenization
can be from equation (31.4) and given as follows;
𝐶′𝛾 3/5
𝑑𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝜌 1/5 𝜀 2/5 (31.5)
𝑐

Where, C’ is a constant which depends on the characteristic dimensions of the system. This equation indicates that
the size of the droplets produced under turbulent conditions decreases as the power density increases, the
interfacial tension decreases or the density of continuous phase increases. Viscosity has no direct relation with the
𝜇
droplet size; however, if the density ratio 𝜇𝑑 falls within 0.1 and 5, the maximum possible droplet size which can
𝑐
persist homogenization pressure can be obtained.
Cavitation
Cavitation is a phenomenon occurs when there is a drastic pressure changes. These kinds of pressure changes are
often seen in case of ultrasonic and high pressure homogenizers. The fluid contracts when the pressure acting on
it increases and it expands when the pressure decreases. When the instantaneous pressure falls below a critical
value, cavity is formed. As the fluid expands due to low pressure, the cavity grows. The surrounding liquid
becomes thermodynamically unstable and evaporates and moves into it. During a subsequent compression, the
cavity suddenly collapse which generates a shock waves. The shock waves propagate to the surrounding liquid
and droplets of the near vicinity disrupt and disintegrate. Though high pressure and temperature prevail near the
cavity, the phenomenon is localized and occurs instantaneously, any physical damage to the homogenizer is
avoided. The cavitation pressure of fluid depends on the type of fluid and the air content of the fluid. This pressure
is known as cavitational threshold. The cavitational threshold depends on the frequency of pressure fluctuation
occurring during homogenization.
31.3.2 Homogenizers
High speed blender
The most common type of homogenizing device used in food industries are high speed blenders. The blender
consists of a high speed motor which rotates a shaft inside a vessel. The rotation of the shaft generally varies from
20 to 2000 rpm. The blades attached to the shaft generate longitudinal, rotational and radial motion of the fluid
causing disintegration of the droplets of the two phases. Longitudinal velocity profile increases the efficiency of
homogenization. This can be achieved by placing baffles on the wall of the vessels. There are various designs of
the blades available to suit the varied product profile. High speed blenders are suitable to homogenize intermediate
or low viscosity products. The droplet size decrease as the homogenization time increases and reaches a critical
minimum diameter beyond which no further reduction takes place. The critical droplet size achieved in high speed
blender depends on the nature and concentration of the ingredients used. Typically, the droplets produced by high
speed blenders vary between the diameter 2 to 10 µm. The energy density is one among the lowest of all the
homogenization devices available.

Unit Operations in Food Processing

Food Technology
Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization
 Colloid mill
Colloid mill is suitable for homogenization of medium and high viscosity food products. Basically, the colloid
mill gives more efficient results when the premixed emulsion is fed into it. In other word, we can say, secondary
homogenization is done in colloid mill. The coarse emulsion formed by high speed blender is fed to the mill which
passes through the narrow gap between two discs viz. rotor (rotating disc)
and stator (static disc). The rotation of the rotor generates shear stress in the
gap between the discs and disintegrates the larger droplets to fine
droplets. The intensity of stress produced can be varied by adjusting the
gap between the discs (50 to 1000 µm). Typically, the rotational speed
of the rotor varies between 1000 and 20000 rpm and the droplet size
achieved varies from 1 to 5 µm. The finer droplets can be obtained by
allowing the emulsion in the gap for a longer period of time. This can be
done by reducing the flow rate of the emulsion or by passing the
emulsion through the mill number of times. However, by doing so, the
manufacturing costs increases. Cooling arrangement should be
Fig.31.3 Schematic of a Colloid mill
provided to reduce the temperature of the device caused due to
the viscous dissipation energy losses.
High pressure valve homogenizer
High pressure valve homogenizers are suitable for homogenizing premixed emulsion of small droplets. The most
common food that is homogenized in this homogenizer is milk. As the name suggests, it has a valve and seat with
a narrow gap between them. A piston pump sucks the liquid in its back stroke and pushes to the narrow gap
between the valve and seat in the forward stroke. During the passage through the gap, the droplets encounter high
shear, cavitational and turbulent condition as a result of which the coarse droplets break into number of fine
droplets. For different products, the valve design may vary. The valves are spring loaded so that the gap between
the valve and seat can be varied (typically between 15 and 300 µm). Decreasing the gap, the pressure drop across
the valve increases, as a result fine droplets are produced. But,
at the same time the input energy requirement increases. If we
draw a graph between the pressure and droplet size, we obtain
a linear curve. The typical throughput of industrial
homogenizers varies between 100 and 20000 l/h and the
pressure variation between 3 and 20 MPa. As per the
applicability of final product, some commercial
homogenizers use “two-stage” process where the product
passes through two valves arranged in series. The pressure
applied to the first valve is more than the pressure of the
second valve, because least energy is required to break the
clumps formed after first homogenization. Using this
method, very small size droplets usually less than 1 µm
can be achieved. High pressure homogenizers are able to Fig.31.4 High Pressure valve homogenizer
produce a variety of different food products, although they
are more suitable for low and intermediate viscosity products.
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Unit Operations in Food Processing

Food Technology
Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization
 Ultrasonic homogenizer
Ultrasonic homogenizers are relatively latest invention which
uses ultrasound to product emulsion. High intensity ultrasonic
waves are produced which generate intense shear and pressure
gradient within the product that disrupt the droplets mainly
due to cavitational effect. The two common methods used to
produce ultrasonic waves are piezoelectric transducers and Fig.31.5 Ultrasonic homogenizer with
liquid jet generators. Piezoelectric transducers are commonly liquid jet generator
used with laboratory homogenizers that are ideal for preparing
small volume of emulsion. The transducer consists of a piezoelectric crystal contained within a protective metal
casing, which is tapered at the end. A high intensity piezoelectric wave is applied to the transducer which oscillates
at high speed and generates an ultrasonic wave. The ultrasonic wave is directed towards the tip of the transducer
which then radiates into the surrounding liquid. It generates intense pressure and shear gradients (mainly due to
cavitational effect) which causes the liquid to be broken into small droplets and intermingled with each other.
A stream of fluid is forced to the sharp edged blade, which causes the blade to vibrate rapidly and generates
ultrasonic waves. The droplets in the near vicinity are broken up due to high shear, cavitation and turbulence. The
advantage of ultrasonic homogenizer is that it can produce continuous emulsion and more energy efficient that
high pressure valve homogenizer. The efficiency of this homogenizer depends on the intensity, duration and
frequency of the ultrasonic waves. The homogenization frequency decreases with increased frequency. Most
commercial devices use a frequency range from 20 to 50 kHz. The droplet size can be reduced by increasing the
intensity or duration of the ultrasonic radiation.
Microfluidizer
Emulsions from individual phases with very small droplet size are formed in
a microfluidizer by allowing the phases to accelerate at high velocity
and then impinging them on a surface. The impinged droplets
intermingled with each other and form stable emulsion. Very fine droplets
can be formed by allowing the emulsion through the microfluidizer number of
times.

Fig.31.6 Schematic of a Microfluidizer

Membrane homogenizer

Unit Operations in Food Processing

Food Technology
Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization
 The dispersed phase is forced to the continuous phase through a membrane with definite pore size. The size of the
droplet depends on the pore size of the membrane and the interfacial
tension between the two phases. The membrane can be
manufactured with varying pore size and it has to be strong to
withstand high pressure. The membrane technique can be applied
either in batch process or continuous process. In the batch process,
the dispersed liquid is forced through a cylindrical membrane
dipped in a continuous phase which is kept in a vessel. In the
continuous phase process, the continuous phase passes through a
cylindrical membrane and the dispersed phase is forced to the
continuous phase through small tubes. The major advantage of
membrane homogenizer is that it can produce a narrow range of
droplet size distribution. The energy efficiency is excellent as Fig.31.7 Batch type membrane homogenizer
no energy is dissipated through the viscous losses.
31.3.3 Homogenization Efficiency
The efficiency of homogenization is calculated by comparing the actual energy required to form an emulsion and
the minimum theoretical energy required.
∆𝐸
𝜂𝐻 (%) = ∆𝐸 𝑚𝑖𝑛 × 100 (31.6)
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙

∆𝐸𝑚𝑖𝑛 = ∆𝐴𝛾 (31.7)

Where, ∆𝐸𝑚𝑖𝑛 is the minimum energy required to form an emulsion, 𝛾 is the interfacial tension between oil and
water phase, ∆𝐴 is the total increased area during homogenization and ∆𝐸𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 is the actual amount of energy
expended during homogenization. The efficiency of homogenization is less than 1% because to disintegrate small
droplets huge pressure gradient is required, that should be equal to or higher than Laplace pressure gradient (≈
2𝛾/𝑟 2 ). So, homogenizers are the most energy inefficient devices. However, the efficiency can be improved by
reducing the pressure gradient which can be accomplished by reducing the interfacial tension) or by minimizing
the viscous dissipation.
31.3.4 Factors affecting droplet size
The main factors affecting droplet size in homogenization are:
1. Type of homogenizer: Variation in the design of homogenizer valve changes some parameters like power
density 𝜀 = ∆𝑃/𝑡𝑝 which has a direct relation with induced stress for droplet disruption.
2. Homogenizing pressure: From the relation, ∝ 𝑃1.5 , we interpret that the power density has a positive
relationship with the homogenization pressure. So, increasing the homogenization pressure, the droplet size
formed reduces. But after certain size, no further decrease in size of droplet happens with further increase in
homogenization pressure.
3. Stages of homogenization: Size reduction of droplets mainly a function of first stage homogenization. The
second stage homogenization has least effect on the size reduction. It only breaks the fat clumping which is
a common tendency of fat seen after first stage homogenization.
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Unit Operations in Food Processing

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Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization
 4. Dispersed phase and the surfactants: The proportion of dispersed phase has a significant effect on the size of
droplet formation. More the dispersed phase present more surface area is created. So, sufficient surfactant
must be present to form new droplet membrane.
5. Type of surfactants: Surfactants of different nature yield different interfacial tension. As a result the droplet
size varies. As for example low molecular weight surfactants like Tween-20 or sodium dodecyle sulphate
create low effective interfacial tension and so smaller globule results.
6. Temperature: Before homogenization the fat should be in liquid state. The homogenization efficiency reduces
if the fat is in crystalline state. So, homogenization is done at about 50 oC.
7. Proper operation of homogenizer: Pressure fluctuation, worn homogenizing valve, and air inclusion
adversely affect the droplet size formation.

References
1. Food Emulsions, Principles, Practices and Techniques, David J. McClements, CRC Press, NY, Publ., 1999.
2. Dairy Science and technology (2nd Edition), P. Walstra, J. Wouters and T. Geurts, CRC Press, Boca Raton,
Publ., 2006.

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Unit Operations in Food Processing

Food Technology
Size Reduction-2: Emulsification and Homogenization