Mitchell Shanklin with Andrea Cisneros Estevez and Professor Dr. Richard W. Hartel

The distortion and propulsion of emulsified fat droplets during crystallization or “crystal comets” is an effect that is well known in the personal care industry, but not well understood. This project’s goal was to successfully replicate this effect using only food-grade materials and to explore whether the comets might increase emulsion viscosity. To determine a mixture that produced a maximum in both the number and the size of comets, a variety of different emulsifier and fat mixes were combined, heated and then viewed under a microscope as they cooled. The mixtures with the most and largest comets were made using a combination of datem (diacetyl tartaric acid ester) and lauric acid. Preliminary observations indicated that the comet phenomena might affect the viscosity of the crystallized emulsion. Other surfactant-induced effects were also observed which might have an affect on viscosity. This early study returned positive results, but more research needs to be done to determine how this effect can be used in the food industry.