FOAMS!

Photo  courtesy  of  Leslie  on  Flickr  

Photo  courtesy  of  Dan  Phiffer  on  Flickr  

Photo  courtesy  of  Alpha  on  Flickr  

Prof. Abd Karim Alias

This  work  is  licensed  under  a  Crea=ve  Commons    
A@ribu=on-­‐NonCommercial-­‐ShareAlike  3.0  Unported  License.   Universiti Sains Malaysia
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 FOAM:
DEFINITION & CHARACTERISTICS
}  Foam is a two-phase system in which the
gas (air) phase is dispersed in a small
amount of liquid (water) continuous
phase.
}  Foam is desirable in beer; it is also
promoted in whipped egg white (e.g., for
making cakes, meringue, etc.), ice cream,
marshmallow, etc.

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 FOAM STRUCTURE
}  A bubbly foam (e.g. in ice cream) is formed
when the amount of gas incorporated is low
enough for bubbles to retain roughly
spherical shape.
}  Polyhedral foam (e.g., beer foam) – the gas-
to-liquid ratio is so large that bubbles are
pressed against one another in a honeycomb-
type structure.

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 FOAM STRUCTURE

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 FOAM STRUCTURE

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 FOAM FORMATION

}  Three process steps for foam formation:

§  air has to be injected into the liquid (e.g.
using a mixer)
§  large air bubbles have to be broken up
into smaller bubbles
§  the smaller bubbles have to be prevented
from fusing during the formation of a
foam

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 FOAM FORMATION –The role of surface
active agent

}  A surface active foaming agent is

essential for the formation of stable foam
}  The foaming agent lowers the surface
tension of the liquid phase & allows
expansion of its surface area.
}  The surfactant forms a closely packed
film around the dispersed gas bubbles.

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 FOAM FORMATION –Proteins as surface
active agent

Three processes involved in the stabilization

of protein foams:
}  adsorption of the protein at the gas-
liquid interface,
}  surface denaturation,

}  coagulation of protein.

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 FOAM FORMATION –Proteins as surface
active agent

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 FOAM STABILITY
Three factors affecting foam stability:
§  drainage: the draining of liquid from
foam
§  disproportionation: the change in foam
bubble size distribution caused by gas
diffusion from small to large bubbles
§  coalescence: the fusion of foam bubbles

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 FOAM STABILITY : FOAM DRAINAGE

•  Water drains from

foam under gravity
•  A foam drains along
lamellae to the
curved junction of
thin lamellae
(plateau borders),
where the pressure
is lower.

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 FOAM STABILITY : FOAM DRAINAGE

•  As water leaves,
faces of film are
brought closer
together

Click picture to view animation

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 FOAM STABILITY : Disproportionation

•  The diffusion of gas from small bubbles

into big bubbles is referred to as
disproportionation.

•  In the absence of a stabilizing film of

polymer molecules, disproportionation
occurs remarkably quickly.

•  Probably the most important type of

instability in foams.

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 EGG FOAMS
}  Egg foams (egg white) are essential in the
preparation of angel cakes, sponge cakes,
meringues, souffles, etc.

}  The proteins not only lower the surface

tension of egg white but some are denatured
at the surface.

}  The coagulation of proteins at the gas-liquid

interface form a network that gives some
rigidity & stability to the foam.

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 EGG FOAMS

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 EGG FOAMS
}  Globulins appeared to be good foamers,
producing small gas bubbles & a large
volume.
}  Ovomucin is not a good foamer by itself but
stabilised the foam because it is rapidly
insolubilised (denatured) at the bubble
surface.
}  The presence of fat, even in small amounts,
and egg yolk, have a detrimental effect on
foam formation.
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 EGG FOAMS
}  The presence of lipids retards foaming because
the oil molecules migrate to the air-water
interface before the protein molecules, inhibiting
the unfolding of the protein & thus the
formation of foam.

}  The antifoaming behavior of egg yolk is partly

due to the presence of lecithin, which is believed
to bind to egg white proteins, preventing them
from associating at the air-water interface, &
competitively displacing them from the
interface.
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 EGG FOAMS
}  Increase of [protein] increases both the
foamability & foam stability, mainly because
of viscosity effect which produces a thicker
lamella film.
}  Adjusting egg white pH to 6.5 by adding an
acid ingredient increases foam stability to
heat, because the acid makes foam less
prone to over-coagulation.
}  Sugars enhance foam stability by increasing
the viscosity of lamellar fluid which reduces
the drainage rate.
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 FOAMS ARE NOT ALWAYS DESIRABLE!
}  In fact, foams can cause many problems,
including vessels overflowing, processing and
packaging interference, damaging materials
and housekeeping issues
}  Silicon dioxide is the most common chemical
used in defoamers and antifoams, as it can
destroy and suppress processing foams.

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 Knowing when to produce foam and when to
get rid of it are one of the many keys to
product success!

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