Liquid, PEG-free, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifiers

1 . A liquid, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifier system comprising a liquid, PEG-free emulsifier base consisting of

A) one or more polyol partial esters; and

Ba) one or more acid partial esters carrying neutralizable acid functions, or

Bb) one or more acid partial esters carrying at least partially neutralized acid functions.

2 . The liquid, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifier system of claim 1 wherein said liquid, PEG-free emulsifier base further includes at least one polar liquid solubility promoter.

3 . The liquid, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifier system as claimed in claim 2 , which is a single phase.

4 . The liquid, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifier system as claimed in claim 1 , which comprises, as liquid base component (A) one or more emulsifiers selected from at least one of the following groups:

A1) sorbitan or sorbitol partial esters,

A2) glycerol and polyglycerol partial esters,

A3) carbohydrate esters, and

A4) (alkyl poly)glycosides.

5 . The liquid, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifier system as claimed in claim 1 , which comprises, as emulsifier component (B), one or more emulsifiers selected from at least one of the following groups:

B1) Di- or polycarboxylates optionally containing hydroxyl groups, sulfated or sulfonated carboxylates, malonates, malates, succinates, sulfosuccinates, citrates, tartrates in which the acid groups have been partially esterified with aliphatic or aromatic, linear or branched, optionally unsaturated and/or hydroxy-functionalized alcohols with a chain length of from 6 to 22 carbon atoms,

B2) Di- or polycarboxylates optionally containing hydroxyl groups, sulfated or sulfonated or phosphated carboxylates, malonates, malates, succinates, sulfosuccinates, citrates, tartrates in which the acid groups have been partially esterified with polyols, polyol partial esters, with aliphatic or aromatic, linear or branched, optionally unsaturated and/or hydroxy-functionalized carboxylic acids with a chain length of from 6 to 22 carbon atoms,

B3) polyols, which are partially esterified with aliphatic or aromatic, linear or branched, optionally unsaturated and/or hydroxy-functionalized mono-, di- or polycarboxylic acids with a chain length of from 2 to 22 carbon atoms, with the proviso that there are free, neutralizable acid groups in the molecule,

B4) hydroxy-functional, mono-, di or polycarboxylic acids whose hydroxyl groups have been reacted at least partially with aliphatic, linear or branched, optionally unsaturated and/or hydroxy-functionalized carboxylic acids with a chain length of from 6 to 22 carbon atoms,

B5) N-acylamino acids comprising an aliphatic or aromatic, linear or branched, optionally unsaturated and/or hydroxy-functionalized radical with a chain length of from 6 to 22 carbon atoms, and

B6) carboxylates, sulfates, sulfonates or phosphates, comprising an aliphatic or aromatic, linear or branched, optionally unsaturated and/or hydroxy functionalized radical with a chain length of from 6 to 22 carbon atoms.

6 . The liquid, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifier system as claimed in claim 1 , which comprises sorbitan esters and polyglycerol esters as liquid emulsifier component (A).

7 . The liquid, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifier system as claimed in claim 6 , which comprises, as liquid emulsifier component (A), sorbitan laurate and polyglycerol laurate.

8 . The liquid, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifier system as claimed in claim 1 , which comprises, as emulsifier component, (Ba) citric acid partial esters carrying neutralizable acid functions, or (Bb) citric acid partial esters carrying acid functions, at least partially neutralized.

9 . The liquid, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifier system as claimed in claim 1 , which comprises the emulsifier components (B) in amounts of at most 20% by weight, based on the emulsifier base (A).

10 . The liquid, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifier system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic ester groups of the emulsifier systems (A) and/or (B) are lauric acid or lauric alcohol radicals.

11 . The liquid, cold-processable oil-in-water emulsifier systems as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the liquid polar solubility promoter (C) is at least one compound selected from water, glycols, polyalkylene glycols, glycerols, polyglycerols, and alcohols.

12 . An oil-in-water emulsion comprising an emulsifier system of

A) one or more polyol partial esters; and

Ba) one or more acid partial esters carrying neutralizable acid functions, or

Bb) one or more acid partial esters carrying at least partially neutralized acid functions.

13 . A preparation comprising the emulsifying system of claim 1.