Interfacial rheology of food emulsifiers and proteins

The scientific literature from 1997 (inclusive) to the present on the interfacial rheology of emulsifiers and proteins of relevance to food has been reviewed. Both shear and dilatational rheology of oil–water and air–water interfaces have been covered and the main factors affecting interfacial rheology have been tabulated. Special attention is paid to: the sensitivity of interfacial rheology to film composition and structure; the growing viewpoint of treating proteins films as a two-dimensional gel state; recent theoretical modelling of interfacial rheological effects; those few publications that attempt to relate interfacial rheology to bulk stability. It is concluded that there have been few major advances in the last 4 or 5 years, but the heterogeneity of such adsorbed films seems to be better recognised, both spatially and rheologically, with the challenge remaining to connect this picture to the stability of the corresponding bulk systems.