Fabrication of functional anisotropic food-grade micro-rods with micro-particle inclusions with potential application for enhanced stability of food foams

We have fabricated novel, food-grade anisotropic 'lumpy' micro-rods with micro-particle inclusions using an in-shear flow solvent attrition technique. Various micro-particle inclusions have been used in shellac and ethyl cellulose micro-rods which include sporopollenin microcapsules, porous silicas, yeast cells, sodium bicarbonate micro-crystals, metal micro-particles and magnetite nano-particles. Functionalisation of the micro-rods also involved thermal or microwave induced degradation of particles incorporated in the polymeric micro-rods. Using this technique we have produced a range of lumpy and 'ballooned' micro-rods and have characterised their morphologies by using optical and fluorescence microscopy. Our study indicates that the lumpy micro-rods have an increased efficiency as foam stabilisers compared with regular 'smooth' micro-rods without particle inclusions.