Effects of emulsifiers on the moisture sorption and crystallization of amorphous sucrose lyophiles

The crystallization of amorphous sucrose can be problematic in food products. This study explored how emulsifiers (a range of sucrose esters, polysorbates, and soy lecithin) impact the moisture sorption and crystallization of amorphous sucrose lyophiles. Solutions containing sucrose with and without emulsifiers were lyophilized, stored in desiccators, and analyzed by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and polarized light microscopy over time. Moisture sorption techniques, Karl Fischer titration, and differential scanning calorimetry were also used. Different emulsifiers had varying impacts on sucrose crystallization tendencies. Polysorbates enhanced sucrose crystallization, decreasing both the RH and time at which sucrose crystallized. These lyophiles did not collapse upon crystallization, unlike all other samples, indicating the likelihood of variations in nucleation sites and crystal growth. All other emulsifiers stabilized amorphous sucrose by up to a factor of 7x, even in the presence of increased water absorbed and independent of glass transition temperatures, indicating emulsifier structure governed sucrose crystallization tendencies.