Recent advances in ultrasonic cavitation technologies for emulsion preparation: a mini review

Ultrasound remains a remarkable method to form emulsions for food and other applications (e.g. cosmetics and pharmaceuticals) due to its high efficiency, excellent emulsion stability, and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, conventional ultrasound equipment suffers from low sonication power or undesired acoustic wave distribution across a sonication medium at large-scale processing, rendering the need for innovative designs to address the aforementioned issues. This mini review aims to discuss the recent developments in designs and configurations of ultrasonic emulsification equipment to overcome these shortcomings. Additionally, patented ultrasonic designs are reviewed to disclose the commercial potential of current ultrasonic inventions. This work can help identify gaps in current ultrasonic inventions, which could inspire researchers on future research directions that could boost the advancements of the design of ultrasound reactors for emulsification to eventual commercialization.