
Why does adding sugar to egg whites make them foam?
Adding sugar at the beginning can double the time you have to whip the egg whites to get a foam. That’s because the sugar molecules get in the way of the egg proteins. With sugar molecules in the way, it takes longer for the proteins to find each other and form bonds.
What is the stability of egg white foam?
Once formed the foam is stable and very fine although the volume may be less. The shine of egg white foam with added sugar is in part to the prevention of coagulation of proteins with accompanying opaqueness.
What happens when you whisk an egg white into foam?
The whisking process stretches out and unravels the proteins and they end up lining up because the hydrophilic ends are attracted to water in the egg white and the hydrophobic ends are repelled and attracted to the air in the pockets. Eventually the protein coating of the air pockets link together, making a foam.
What happens when you whip egg white and air together?
Whisking egg white, which contains large molecules called proteins, together with air produces a much more stable foam. As the air is whipped into the egg white, tiny air pockets are captured in the mixture, each surrounded by a very thin layer of egg protein.

What makes egg white foam stable?
Whisking egg white, which contains large molecules called proteins, together with air produces a much more stable foam. As the air is whipped into the egg white, tiny air pockets are captured in the mixture, each surrounded by a very thin layer of egg protein.
Why does the effect of the egg white foam is less stable?
The egg white foam becomes less stable because the egg white denatures too much--the protein unfolds too much and loses its elasticity. What makes it possible to beat an egg white to form foam?
How does sugar stabilize egg foam?
Adding sugar to foamy egg whites creates a thick and glossy foam. This foam remains even after you stop whisking. Food scientists believe that sugar helps more proteins gather on the surface of the air bubbles, making the bubbles even more stable.
What makes foam stable?
Foam stability can be attributed to several factors, which include the following. Surface viscosity – high viscosity of the liquid film that forms the bubble walls contributes to film strength and durability, owing to the increased resistance to deformation; that is, there is a reduced thinning and drainage rate.
What factors affect foam stability?
The stability of the foam is determined by foam decay, which is demonstrated by gas diffusion and gravity induced inflow. The pressure differences and surface tension between the bubbles are the main causes of decay. The pressure inside the small foam is high and will spread to the big bubble.
What is the science behind meringue?
Boom meringue Exploratorium science provides more detail on how beating also exposes some amino acids that repel water – i.e. are “hydrophobic”. When egg whites get beaten, these water-wary amino acids come into close contact with other water-loving (i.e. hydrophilic) amino acids.
What are the factors that affect the volume and stability of egg white foam?
The factors influencing the formation and sta- bility of egg white foam are: hen age, egg age, storage conditions, speed and time of whipping, temperature, pasteurisation, pH, dry matter, pres- ence of egg yolk or lipids, salt, sugar, stabilisers and surface active compounds, metal ions, and proteolytic enzymes (Hata ...
What happens if you put less sugar in meringue?
On the flip side, if not enough sugar is added to the meringue mixture, the resulting foam will not be stable enough, and not enough moisture will evaporate during baking. It is this delicate sugary structure remaining after the water evaporates that guarantees a successful meringue.
What are the factors that affect the volume and stability of egg-white foam?
The factors influencing the formation and sta- bility of egg white foam are: hen age, egg age, storage conditions, speed and time of whipping, temperature, pasteurisation, pH, dry matter, pres- ence of egg yolk or lipids, salt, sugar, stabilisers and surface active compounds, metal ions, and proteolytic enzymes (Hata ...
How did the addition of egg yolk affect the stability of the foam Why?
How did the addition of egg yolk affect the stability of the foam? Why? Addition of egg yolk is also known as fat contamination; the smallest amount of fat will interfere significantly with an egg white's ability to foam.
What factors influence the stability of an egg-white foam explain the effect of each factor?
Beating technique, temperature, careful separation of yolks and whites, additives, and type of bowl are all factors that influence the stability of egg white foam. The type of eggs that are best to use when making a foam are fresh eggs since they have thick eggs whites, which will result in a more stable foam.
Which ingredients lowers the stability of egg-white foam?
Addition of salt: Addition of salt to egg white (1g to 40g egg white) or whole egg lowers the quality (volume and stability) of the foam as it becomes less elastic. The addition of salt to fresh egg white decreases the stability of foam unless the beating time is increased from 6-9 minutes.
What happens if you add vinegar to egg foam?
Adding vinegar (or any other acid) can make the foam less likely to suffer the consequences of overbeating—lumpiness, loss of water, and collapse. These undesirable consequences result from too many bonds forming between the egg proteins.
What happens when you beat an egg white?
When you beat an egg white, these proteins uncurl and stretch out. ( Click here to find out why they uncurl.) When the proteins uncurl, they expose amino acids that were hidden in the center of the tangle. Some of the amino acids repel water; these are hydrophobic, or water-fearing amino acids.
What makes meringue stiff?
The chicken egg contains a mixture of proteins that makes meringue possible. Some of the proteins form bonds with each other to create a stable network that keeps the bubbles from popping. When the meringue is in the oven, another protein —ovoalbumin— forms bonds that cause the meringue to stiffen.
What are the amino acids that are attracted to water?
Some of the amino acids are electrically charged and are attracted to water; these are hydrophilic, or water-loving amino acids. As you beat the egg whites, you also whip bubbles into the mixture. The water molecules and egg-white proteins bump around, jockeying for position.
How much protein is in an egg white?
They won’t spread out to form a bubble film unless you add something that lessens the attraction. An egg white is about 90% water and 10% protein. The egg-white proteins are long chains of amino acids that fold and curl into more or less spherical tangles.
Where do egg proteins stick out?
While trying to get close to each other and to the hydrophilic amino acids, the water molecules squeeze the hydrophobic amino acids out. The best place for the egg proteins is on the surface of the liquid, with their hydrophobic amino acids sticking out into the air.
Why do bubble films spread out?
Since the attraction between water molecules decreases with distance, the water molecules don’t stick together quite as well—the y can spread out and make a bubble film.
What is the foam that forms when egg whites are heated?
Eventually the protein coating of the air pockets link together, making a foam. When an egg white foam is heated, the protein coagulates and water evaporates, forming a solid foam, in this case called a meringue. Explore.
What happens when you whip egg whites?
As the air is whipped into the egg white, tiny air pockets are captured in the mixture, each surrounded by a very thin layer of egg protein. Some of these protein molecules have hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-hating) ends.
Why do proteins line up in whisking?
The whisking process stretches out and unravels the proteins and they end up lining up because the hydrophilic ends are attracted to water in the egg white and the hydrophobic ends are repelled and attracted to the air in the pockets. Eventually the protein coating of the air pockets link together, making a foam.
How does foam form?
A foam forms when small bubbles of gas are trapped in a solid or liquid. How is a foam produced? A foam is produced by trapping millions of tiny gas bubbles in a liquid (whipped egg white) or a solid (marshmallow). Whisking water and air produces hundreds of bubbles but they soon ‘pop’, leaving only water and air again.
What happens when you whisk water and air together?
Whisking water and air produces hundreds of bubbles but they soon ‘pop’, leaving only water and air again. Whisking egg white, which contains large molecules called proteins, together with air produces a much more stable foam. As the air is whipped into the egg white, tiny air pockets are captured in the mixture, ...
What makes egg white foam more stable?
Addition of acid: Addition of acid to egg white makes the foam more stable but increases the time necessary for beating. Cream of tartar is more effective in increasing the stability than acetic or citric acid. Acid is best added during the first portion of beating period. The addition of acid to egg white also makes the foam more stable ...
What are the factors that affect egg white foam?
Factors affecting egg white foams. Effect of beating time: As the time of beating egg white is increased their volume and stability increase at first and then decrease. The actual time required depends on the type and speed of the beater. Higher the speed, shorter the period of beating required. Maximum stability is reached before maximum volume.
What happens when you add salt to whole eggs?
The addition of salt to whole eggs before beating results in a foam of small volume that would not form peaks. Sponge cakes made from such a foam has smaller volume and less tender when salt is added to the egg rather than adding salt to the flour. Addition of water: Dilution of egg white with water upto 40 percent of the volume ...
Why does egg white foam shine?
The shine of egg white foam with added sugar is in part to the prevention of coagulation of proteins with accompanying opaqueness. Once sugar is added to egg white beaten to a foamy stage to the soft peak or to the stiff peak stage beating can continue longer without the foam being overbeaten.
What percentage of the volume of egg increases the volume of foam?
Addition of water: Dilution of egg white with water upto 40 percent of the volume of egg increases the volume of foam but decreases the stability.
Why do egg whites beat better at room temperature?
Temperature: egg white can be beaten more readily at room temperature than at refrigerated temperature possibly because of lowered surface tension at higher temperature . Thick and thin whites : Thin whites can be beaten more readily and produce greater volume than thick white.
Which type of egg beater gives a larger volume of beaten egg mass?
Egg whisks sometimes give a larger volume of beaten egg mass than do rotatory types of beaters but the cells are larger. Type of container in which eggs are beaten: Bowls with small rounded bottoms and sloping are preferable to bowls with large flat bottoms because, in the former, the beater can pick up the egg mass more easily.
