possible, and dilute it with any other
ingredients after the emulsion has formed.
The second factor that makes it easier to
produce small droplets in an emulsion is the
presence of emulsifiers.
Emulsifiers: Lecithin and Proteins
Emulsifiers are molecules that lower the
surface tension of one liquid dispersed in
another, and therefore make it easier to make
small droplets and a fine, creamy emulsion.
They do so by coating the surface of the
droplets, and shielding the droplet surface
from the continuous liquid. Emulsifiers are
therefore a true liaison: they must be partly
soluble in each of the two mutually
incompatible liquids. They manage this by
having two different regions on the same
molecule, one soluble in water and the other
in fat.
There are two general kinds of molecules
that can act as emulsifiers. One kind is