Oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by hydrolysed black soldier fly larvae proteins: reproduction of experimental data via phase-field modelling

A phase field model based on the Cahn-Hilliard equation was validated experimentally by comparison of the numerical data with experimental data of emulsions of oil in water stabilized with Black Soldier Fly Larvae Proteins (BSFLP) and protein hydrolysates. Among the model parameters, the surface tension was determined by the pendant drop method, and the mobility by two different experiments, one based on the Turbiscan Stability Index, and another one based on the history of the average d_3,2, both of them throughout a 48 h period. The initial condition was built from an experimental droplet size distribution measured prior to phase separation. Results show that the model is able to quantitatively reproduce the phase separation kinetics, and provide an intuitive graphical representation of the droplet growth. Application of this procedure to other systems will allow the generalization of phase field modelling as a predictive tool for food applications.