oped a potion he called ‘Palsgaard But all that paled in comparison Virtually from one day to the next, Emulsion Oil’ in a simple laborato- to Schou’s use of certain deriva- manufacturers could achieve good, ry nestled amongst the old yellow tives of fatty acids as food addi- strong emulsions. They could win buildings. He had purchased the tives, based purely on vegetable control over their products, ensur- magnificent estate with his earn- sources. ing consistent results. And they ings, intending, it is said, to lead the could get achieve success even life of a country squire. That, how- Schou’s emulsifier dramatically if they didn’t have the most up- ever, was easier said than done changed the process of producing to-date production equipment. He for a man like Schou. After just a many different foods. With PEO, had, in fact, laid the groundwork few years, he began spending long manufacturers had obtained an for a future of producing foods that days and evenings tinkering in his entirely new understanding of what were GMO-free, non-allergenic, home laboratory, poring over vegan, lower-fat, trans fat- calculations and conducting free, more cost-effective and numerous experiments. Finally, on a day whose exact date is no longer known, he made his breakthrough discovery – and an entirely new era began in the food manufacturing industry. The first controllable emulsifier Of course, it’s not that the use of emulsifiers itself was anything new in industrial food production. Ice cream, mayonnaise, chocolate, bread, cakes and many oth- What is an emulsifier? Emulsifiers are amphiphilic molecules used to form and stabilize emulsions. Readily recognisable emulsions include mayonnaise and salad dressings, but they are also used in everything from bakery products, confectionary and ice cream, where they do more than just mix. Other functional benefits include improving aeration, texture, and slicing of bakery products; preventing chocolate bloom; making ice cream creamier and more resistant to melting; and increasing shelf life and reducing fat content in a variety of foods. more easily adaptable and controllable than earlier emulsifiers could allow. Home sweet home It’s tempting to imagine that Schou, having invented such a powerful and valuable new tool for the world’s food manufacturers, would have left these calm surroundings, 20 kilometres from the nearest city, to launch his brainchild on the next steps of its journey in the UK, Germany or even the US. But Schou had er foods have traditionally a quite different plan in mind. used lecithin from eggs, egg white or milk proteins and other substances to encourage oil to mix with water during processing. And even the ancient Greeks understood enough to use beeswax as was going on at a chemistry and functional level, allowing different raw materials and emulsion types to be brought into recipe development. Five hundred metres from the manor house, the energetic Schou augmented his laboratory with the construction of a brand new factory, and began building the an emulsifier for cosmetics. organisation that would develop, produce and market his invention 2
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