Question

Given below are two statements:
Statement (I): "Phase inversion" is a phenomenon where "oil in water" emulsion is converted to "water in oil" emulsion during the preparation of a fat rich dairy product.
Statement (II): In dairy industry "Phase inversion" is associated with cream separation process.
In light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

• A. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are true
• B. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are false
• C. Statement (I) is true but Statement (II) is false
• D. Statement (I) is false but Statement (II) is true

Hint:

Remember the emulsion states:
- Milk and Cream = Oil-in-Water (O/W)
- Butter = Water-in-Oil (W/O)
- Butter-making (churning) is the process that drives the "Phase Inversion" from O/W to W/O.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
An emulsion is a mixture of two immiscible liquids, where one liquid is dispersed as tiny droplets in the other.
Emulsions are classified as oil-in-water (O/W) or water-in-oil (W/O).
Phase inversion is the physical process where the dispersed phase becomes the continuous phase, and vice versa.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us evaluate both statements:
- Statement I: In milk and cream, fat exists as dispersed droplets in an aqueous continuous phase (oil-in-water, or O/W, emulsion).
- During the churning of cream to make butter, mechanical shear ruptures the protective milk fat globule membranes.
- This causes the liquid fat to escape, coalesce, and trap tiny water droplets within a continuous fat matrix.
- This transition converts the O/W emulsion of cream into a W/O emulsion of butter. This physical change is termed phase inversion. Thus, Statement I is true.
- Statement II: Cream separation is a centrifugal process that concentrates the fat globules into a smaller volume of water.
- The resulting cream remains an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion; no phase inversion occurs during separation.
- Phase inversion in the dairy industry is associated with butter-making (churning), not cream separation. Thus, Statement II is false.
- Since Statement I is true but Statement II is false, the correct option is (C).

Step 3: Final Answer:
Statement (I) is true but Statement (II) is false.