Surface active properties

Surface active properties are functional properties describing how well a compound lowers a liquid’s surface tension, improving wettability or blending. Food-additive surfactants display these properties: emulsifiers stabilize oil-in-water and water-in-oil systems, foaming agents trap air in batters and toppings, and wetting agents help powders dissolve. These properties are quantified by surface-tension measurements and emulsion-stability tests, and they underpin the texture of countless products from ice cream to salad dressing. The hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of a surfactant predicts which of these roles it will play.