Stabilizer
- A stabilizer is a substance to prevent or to slow down some unwanted physical changes of food.
- Most stabilizing and thickening agents are polysaccharides, such as starches or gums, or proteins, such as gelatin.
- The primary function of these compounds is to act as thickening or gelling agents that increase the viscosity of the final product.
- These agents stabilize emulsions, either by adsorbing to the outer surface of oil droplets or by increasing the viscosity of the water phase.
- Thus, they prevent the coalescence of the oil droplets, promoting the separation of the oil phase from the aqueous phase.