Compositions having an oil-in-water dispersion of submicron particles to enhance foods and beverages

Abstract

A composition having an oil-in-water dispersion with enhanced stability is provided. The oil-in-water dispersion has particles of a hydrophobic agent with an average particle size between about 100 to about 999 nm, where the distribution of particle sizes are a monodispersity about the average particle size, and the negative charge on the particles generates a force of repulsion that exceeds the force of coalescence among the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion. A method for applying the composition to a food and/or beverage is also provided. The submicron average particle size, dispersity, and force of repulsion of the particles in the dispersion increase the extent of penetration and accelerate diffusion of the particles of the hydrophobic agent throughout a water phase of a food or beverage, to enhance the physical, chemical, nutritional and/or sensory properties of the food or beverage, and to prevent freezer burn.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A composition having an oil-in-water dispersion with enhanced stability, the composition comprising:
 an oil phase comprising one or more hydrophobic particles of a hydrophobic agent; and   an aqueous phase comprising either water or water and one or more water-miscible substances;   wherein the oil phase and the aqueous phase are combined and subjected to a process to form an oil-in-water dispersion having particles of the hydrophobic agent with a small negative surface charge;   wherein the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have an average particle size of about 100 nm to about 999 nm in diameter;   wherein about 75 weight-percent (wt %) to about 100 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have a particle size that is ±300 nm of the average particle size of the hydrophobic agent; and   wherein the small negative surface charge imparted to the hydrophobic particles causes the particles of the hydrophobic agent to repel each other with a force of repulsion,   wherein the force of repulsion sufficiently exceeds the force of coalescence among the particles of the hydrophobic agent, thereby enhancing stability of the oil-in-water dispersion by resisting aggregation of the particles of the hydrophobic agent.   
     
     
         2 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein a net negative charge of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion is −30 mV or lower. 
     
     
         3 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the oil-in-water dispersion has a zeta potential that is a negative value. 
     
     
         4 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein at least 75 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion are monodispersed about the average particle size, and
 wherein at least 75 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion are over an electrostatic barrier at which the force of repulsion exceeds the force of coalescence.   
     
     
         5 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein about 90 wt % to about 100 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have a particle size that is ±300 nm of the average particle size of the hydrophobic agent, and wherein the particles are in a Gaussian distribution about the average particle size. 
     
     
         6 . The composition according to  claim 5 , wherein about 95 wt % to about 100 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have a particle size that is ±300 nm of the average particle size of the hydrophobic agent. 
     
     
         7 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have a particle size that is ±200 nm of the average particle size of the hydrophobic agent, and wherein the particles are in a Gaussian distribution about the average particle size. 
     
     
         8 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have a particle size that is ±100 nm of the average particle size of the hydrophobic agent, and wherein the particles are in a Gaussian distribution about the average particle size. 
     
     
         9 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein about 10 wt % to about 100 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion are over an electrostatic barrier at which the force of repulsion exceeds the force of coalescence. 
     
     
         10 . The composition according to  claim 9 , wherein about 50 wt % to about 100 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion are over the electrostatic barrier. 
     
     
         11 . The composition according to  claim 10 , wherein about 75 wt % to about 100 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion are over the electrostatic barrier. 
     
     
         12 . The composition according to  claim 11 , wherein about 95 wt % to about 100 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion are over the electrostatic barrier. 
     
     
         13 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises an initiator when the oil phase and the aqueous phase are combined. 
     
     
         14 . The composition according to  claim 13 , wherein the initiator is an amphiphilic compound that yields the average particle size of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion that always exceeds about 100 nm, under the standard operating conditions imparted to the dispersion by the process. 
     
     
         15 . The composition according to  claim 13 , wherein the initiator comprises an amphiphilic compound, wherein the amphiphilic compound has a Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC) of 10 −8  mol/L or lower. 
     
     
         16 . The composition according to  claim 15 , wherein the amphiphilic compound is a phospholipid. 
     
     
         17 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the oil-in-water dispersion is substantially surfactant-free. 
     
     
         18 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the process is mechanical and comprises subjecting the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the combined oil phase and water phase to substantially elastic collisions. 
     
     
         19 . The composition according to  claim 18 , further comprising subjecting the oil-in-water dispersion to an additional iteration of the mechanical process to increase monodispersity of a larger wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent, and to increase the wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent that are over an electrostatic barrier at which the force of repulsion exceeds the force of coalescence, to further enhance stability of the dispersion. 
     
     
         20 . The composition according to  claim 1 , further comprising pre-processing the combined water phase and oil phase to form a homogenized mixture before the process, wherein the homogenized mixture comprises at least 50 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent below an average particle size of 20 μm, and at least 75 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent are in a Gaussian distribution. 
     
     
         21 . The composition according to  claim 1 , further comprising a rheological modifying agent. 
     
     
         22 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the oil-in-water dispersion is sanitized by the process. 
     
     
         23 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the oil-in-water dispersion of the dispersed hydrophobic agent has an average particle size of 200 nm, which produces a rate of separation that is up to about 600 times slower as compared with the same hydrophobic agent having an average particle size greater than about 5 μm. 
     
     
         24 . A method of using a composition having an oil-in-water dispersion to enhance a physical, chemical, nutritional and/or sensory property of a food, comprising:
 applying a composition into or onto the food, the composition comprising:   an oil phase comprising one or more hydrophobic particles of a hydrophobic agent; and   an aqueous phase comprising either water or water and one or more water-miscible substances;   wherein the oil phase and the aqueous phase are combined and subjected to a process to form an oil-in-water dispersion having particles of the hydrophobic agent with a small negative surface charge;   wherein the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have an average particle size of about 100 nm to about 999 nm in diameter;   wherein about 75 wt % to about 100 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have a particle size that is ±300 nm of the average particle size of the hydrophobic agent;   wherein the small negative surface charge imparted to the hydrophobic particles causes the particles of the hydrophobic agent to repel each other with a force of repulsion;   wherein the force of repulsion sufficiently exceeds the force of coalescence among the particles of the hydrophobic agent, thereby enhancing stability of the oil-in-water dispersion by resisting aggregation of the particles of the hydrophobic agent;   wherein small average particle size, low polydispersity, and force of repulsion of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion increase an extent of penetration of the oil-in-water dispersion throughout a water phase of a substrate of the food; and   thereby producing a bloom effect distributing the particles of the hydrophobic agent uniformly throughout the water phase of the substrate that enhances a physical, chemical, nutritional and/or sensory property of the food.   
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the small average particle size, low polydispersity, and force of repulsion of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion further produce an accelerated diffusion speed of the oil-in-water dispersion throughout a water phase of a substrate of the food. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the increased extent of penetration and the bloom effect of the oil-in-water dispersion into the water phase of the substrate form a thin moisture barrier throughout the food that prevents sublimation of ice crystals from a surface of the substrate, thereby preventing freezer burn of the food. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the physical, chemical, nutritional and/or sensory property of the food is selected from the group consisting of: texture, flavor, taste, nutritional value, softness, tenderizing, uptake of oils, and any combinations thereof. 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the composition is added to a food that is a batter used for baking,
 wherein the small average particle size, low polydispersity, and force of repulsion of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion accelerate diffusion throughout the batter so that the particles of the hydrophobic agent are evenly distributed therein to enhance the taste, flavor, and cooking characteristics of the food, and   wherein the particles of the hydrophobic agent can form a thin film on a surface of the food after the water phase has flashed off, leaving a thin, uniform coating of the hydrophobic particles on the surface that further enhances the flavor and taste of the food.   
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the oil-in-water dispersion is the entire composition applied to the food or beverage. 
     
     
         30 . A method of using a composition having an oil-in-water dispersion to enhance a physical, chemical, nutritional and/or sensory property of a beverage, comprising:
 applying a composition into the beverage, the composition comprising:   an oil phase comprising one or more hydrophobic particles of a hydrophobic agent; and   an aqueous phase comprising either water or water and one or more water-miscible substances;   wherein the oil phase and the aqueous phase are combined and subjected to a process to form an oil-in-water dispersion having particles of the hydrophobic agent with a small negative surface charge;   wherein the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have an average particle size of about 100 nm to about 999 nm in diameter;   wherein about 75 wt % to about 100 wt % of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have a particle size that is ±300 nm of the average particle size of the hydrophobic agent;   wherein the small negative surface charge imparted to the hydrophobic particles causes the particles of the hydrophobic agent to repel each other with a force of repulsion;   wherein the force of repulsion sufficiently exceeds the force of coalescence among the particles of the hydrophobic agent, thereby enhancing stability of the oil-in-water dispersion by resisting aggregation of the particles of the hydrophobic agent;   wherein the small average particle size, low polydispersity, and force of repulsion of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion increase an extent of penetration of the oil-in-water dispersion throughout a water phase of the beverage,   thereby producing a bloom effect distributing the particles of the hydrophobic agent uniformly throughout the water phase of the beverage that enhances a physical, chemical, nutritional and/or sensory property of the beverage.   
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein the small average particle size, low polydispersity, and force of repulsion of the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion further produce an accelerated diffusion speed of the oil-in-water dispersion throughout a water phase of the beverage. 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein the oil-in-water dispersion can be added to a hot beverage or to a cold beverage. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein the physical, chemical, nutritional and/or sensory property of the beverage is selected from the group consisting of: texture, flavor, taste, nutritional value, and any combinations thereof. 
     
     
         34 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the oil phase is 0.01 wt % to 70 wt % of the composition. 
     
     
         35 . The composition according to  claim 1 , further comprising 0.01 wt % to 15.0 wt % of one or more rheological modifying agents. 
     
     
         36 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have a polydispersity of 0.25 or less. 
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the oil phase is 0.01 wt % to 70 wt % of the composition. 
     
     
         38 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the composition further comprises 0.01 wt % to 15.0 wt % of one or more rheological modifying agents. 
     
     
         39 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the particles of the hydrophobic agent in the oil-in-water dispersion have a polydispersity of 0.25 or less. 
     
     
         40 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein the oil phase is 0.01 wt % to 70 wt % of the composition. 
     
     
         41 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein the composition further comprises 0.01 wt % to 15.0 wt % of one or more rheological modifying agents. 
     
     
         42 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein the aqueous phase further comprises at least a first water miscible substance.