THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF THE ENERGY COMPONENT OF ULTRASONIC EMULSION DISPERSION

<ns0:p>Modern trends in the food industry are evolving in response to the population's growing pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. This creates a prerequisite for research aimed at developing resource-saving technologies that enable the elimination of technological additives by effectively unlocking the functional and technological properties of raw materials. Improving emulsion dispersion processes using physical impact methods is currently of great relevance. The aim of this work is the theoretical substantiation of the energy efficiency of using resonant modes of ultrasonic cavitation to obtain stable, finely dispersed emulsions. A comparative analysis of dispersed phase fragmentation methods was conducted, highlighting acoustic and hydrodynamic impacts. Theoretical modelling methods were applied in the study. Unlike classical approaches, the methodology takes into account the viscosity of the dispersion medium and considers intensity as an integral characteristic of the process. The energy of disruption during emulsion dispersion was determined based on both discrete and continuous models. It was revealed that the ultrasonic impact on the treated medium depends not only on the equipment parameters that determine the energy, but also on the medium's viscosity, the bubble diameter (varying from minimum to maximum values), and associated phenomena such as shock waves, microstreaming, and acoustic turbulence. It was established that the dispersion process is effectively realized in an extended frequency range of 10–40 kHz, refining known data (20 – 40 kHz). The influence of emulsion viscosity on the system's energy balance is theoretically substantiated, representing a novel scientific contribution. It was determined that the intensity of the ultrasonic field is a key parameter defining the rate of energy transformation within the cavitating volume. It is demonstrated that the application of resonant dispersion modes facilitates the formation of fat globule clusters of minimal size. This ensures the thermodynamic stability of the system without the use of additional stabilizers.</ns0:p>