What is an emulsifier?
Emulsifiers are common in many food products that you probably eat every day, from your breakfast sausage to the mayonnaise you spread on your sandwiches.
Oil and water normally don’t mix because of their different densities and polar properties, but emulsifiers make this possible.
The hydrophilic (“water loving”) ends of emulsifier molecules coat oil droplets, allowing them to disperse uniformly throughout the water-based solution or foam. This improves the consistency of foods that would otherwise be extremely unappealing (clumpy ice cream, anyone?).
The dark side of emulsifiers
As crucial as they are in producing some of our favorite foods, emulsifying agents may have unexpected health consequences. A study using mice published in Nature on February 25th, 2015 concluded that ingestion of emulsifiers at levels below those allowed by the FDA may contribute to a variety of intestinal problems. The layers of mucous lining the insides of the intestines serve to protect them from gut microbes, which should not normally come into contact with the epithelial cells of the intestinal wall. Emulsifiers appear to break down some of this mucous, leading to colitis (general inflammation of the intestines) and metabolic syndrome, commonly referred to as obesity. Mice that were engineered to be genetically predisposed to colitis showed even higher levels of inflammation.
RELATED ARTICLE: This Man Overcome His Obesity And Became An Ironman
Emulsifiers are common in many food products that you probably eat every day, from your breakfast sausage to the mayonnaise you spread on your sandwiches.
Oil and water normally don’t mix because of their different densities and polar properties, but emulsifiers make this possible.
The hydrophilic (“water loving”) ends of emulsifier molecules coat oil droplets, allowing them to disperse uniformly throughout the water-based solution or foam. This improves the consistency of foods that would otherwise be extremely unappealing (clumpy ice cream, anyone?).
The dark side of emulsifiers
As crucial as they are in producing some of our favorite foods, emulsifying agents may have unexpected health consequences. A study using mice published in Nature on February 25th, 2015 concluded that ingestion of emulsifiers at levels below those allowed by the FDA may contribute to a variety of intestinal problems. The layers of mucous lining the insides of the intestines serve to protect them from gut microbes, which should not normally come into contact with the epithelial cells of the intestinal wall. Emulsifiers appear to break down some of this mucous, leading to colitis (general inflammation of the intestines) and metabolic syndrome, commonly referred to as obesity. Mice that were engineered to be genetically predisposed to colitis showed even higher levels of inflammation.
RELATED ARTICLE: This Man Overcome His Obesity And Became An Ironman
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