Patent Pick: Whipped Cream and Mousse Dreams

Hair-mousse-850

Products in the form of aerated dispersions, e.g., gas-in-solution dispersions such as hair styling mousse, whipped cream and other food products, are known to have poor stability at room temperature. And according to L'Oréal inventors, there is a demand from the food, cosmetic and consumer chemical industries to prepare such products with additional properties, such as the ability to be further diluted.

In relation, a new patent covers methods to prepare gas-in-solution dispersions to provide these desired properties while providing increased stability:

Stable bubbles via particle absorption by electrostatic interaction
Publication date: Sept. 6, 2016
Assignee: L'Oréal

These inventors found that gas-in-solution dispersions prepared via particle adsorption by electrostatic interaction allow for the formation of a rigid interface between the gas bubble and the continuous solution phase. Thus, the bubbles can be individually encapsulated, which may prevent coalescence or so-called Oswald-ripening, resulting in increased stability.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, gas-in-solution dispersions can be prepared where the dispersed phase comprises gas bubbles and the continuous phase comprises a surface-active material by any method known. The surface-active material can be chosen to impart a charge at the interface of the gas bubble and solution.

Subsequently, particles having the opposite charge to that of the surface-active material can be added to the continuous phase. This process leads to encapsulation of the gas bubbles, and gas-in-solution emulsions having improved stability over extended periods of time.

So yes, those cans of aerosol whipped topping could last until Thanksgiving, maybe even next year's.

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