The Effect of Emulsifiers and Stabilizers in Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressing

Emulsifiers and stabilizers are known to be effective agents of emulsification. When used in an oil and vinegar salad dressing, they contribute to significant changes in density, viscosity, and color when compared to the control which contains no emulsifiers or stabilizers. The stabilizer used was xanthan gum and the emulsifier used was lecithin. It was found that the control remained the densest, followed by the stabilizer-sample, then the emulsifier-sample. This is potentially due to the fact that air remains emulsified in the emulsifier- and stabilizer-samples. The xanthan gum sample was demonstrated to be by far the most viscous due to its action as a thickener as well as an emulsifier. Finally, color was very clearly affected by the additives. The samples containing the additives were most similar to each other and undertook a much lighter, creamier color than the control. Overall, addition of even a very small amount of emulsifier/stabilizer to an emulsion results in significant characteristic changes of the salad dressing, besides simply promoting and maintaining the emulsion.