Native corn and potato starch as CO[formula omitted] gas bubble nucleation agent for low-temperature high-pressure foaming applications

J.I Zink,A Roth,N Junker,E.J Windhab

doi:10.1016/j.ceja.2021.100211

J.I Zink, A Roth + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceja.2021.100211

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Abstract

Gas bubble nucleation and its control is one of the most important parameters in industrial foaming applications defining the physical and chemical properties of the end product. It is possible to enhance this process by adding gas bubble nucleation supporting agents. In this work, the potency of native corn and potato starch as bubble nucleating agents for low-temperature high pressure (HP) foaming applications have been evaluated at 30 barg. In a first work step, the physical properties of the starches were assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Washburn rise method, nitrogen adsorption, Hg porosimetry as well as light scattering and compared to those of talcum, a well know and widely used nucleating agent in non-food systems. Secondly, the effect of the addition of these starch particles on CO2 gas bubble nucleation in highly viscous watery hydroxy-methyl-propyl-cellulose dispersions was determined applying HP rheology. Results of the surface properties evaluation suggested that the investigated native starch particles are suitable natural nucleating agents for HP foaming applications but are less efficient than talcum particles. The critical supersaturation value of a 1 wt% HPMC dispersion was reduced from 2.9±0.4 to 1.1±0.7 and 1.3±0.6 after the addition of 1 wt% corn and potato starch particles, respectively. The applied HP rheology technique developed to measure the critical supersaturation revealed, that the starches can compete with the talcum. These findings also allowed to validate the suitability of HP rheology to investigate gas bubble nucleation under defined shear conditions thus, enabling new insights into the mechanism of this process for low-temperature foaming applications in food and pharmaceutical product systems.

Highlights

High pressure foaming processes are basically known from a number of applications in synthetic polymer systems products for our daily use
The potency of native corn and potato starch as bubble nucleating agents for low-temperature high pressure (HP) foaming applications have been evaluated at 30 barg
These findings allowed to validate the suitability of HP rheology to investigate gas bubble nucleation under defined shear conditions enabling new insights into the mechanism of this process for low-temperature foaming applications in food and pharmaceutical product systems

Summary

Introduction

High pressure foaming processes are basically known from a number of applications in synthetic polymer systems products for our daily use. This spans from thermal insulation and packaging materials to shoe soles and wound cares [1,2,3]. A gas or a mixture of gasses, is dissolved in a liquid bulk phase at given pressure and temperature and released under pressure and temperature conditions of reduced gas solubility. This is the case for increasing temperature or reducing pressure, generating a gas-supersaturated state fluid system. In case of limited interfacial bubble stabilisation, the bubbles can be entrapped within a network formed in the bulk phase by either macromolecules or particles [11,12,13]

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