Formulations and characterizations of vegetable oil-based nanoemulsions prepared for use as colloidal delivery systems

Abstract

Although the food industry has a high potential to benefit from nanotechnology, it is still very limited. However, in recent years, the world food industry has started to search for ways to benefit from this technology and nanotechnology-based techniques have been introduced to the food industry to provide solutions to food safety-related problems. Nanoparticles have great importance in extending the shelf life of foodstuffs due to their antimicrobial properties without causing any change in flavor or color. Nanotechnology is a technology focused on the characterization, production, and processing of biological and non-biological structures smaller than 100 nm. Nanoparticles have great importance in extending the shelf life of foodstuffs due to their antimicrobial properties without causing any change in flavor or color. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the application of innovative nanoscience-based technologies to improve the health, safety, and quality of food products. A major breakthrough in this area has been the use of nanoemulsions. Because nanoemulsions can be easily formulated with existing food ingredients and technologies. In particular, oil-in-water nanoemulsions consisting of small oil droplets (<200nm) dispersed in water are used as delivery systems for various hydrophobic substances in foods, such as nutraceuticals, antioxidants, antimicrobials, colorants, and sweeteners.

Encapsulation of hydrophobic substances in nanoemulsions can greatly increase their water dispersibility, chemical stability, bioavailability, and bioactivity. As a result, they have several advantages over traditional emulsions for certain applications, including increased resistance to aggregation and gravitational separation during storage, as well as higher bioavailability after ingestion. For these reasons, nanoemulsions are particularly suitable for encapsulating hydrophobic bioactive substances and subsequently incorporating them into food and beverage products. Therefore, the aim of this project includes the formulation, production, and characterization of nanoemulsion-based delivery systems for use in food products.

In current study, characterization studies of nanoemulsions prepared using vegetable oils (sunflower and olive oil) were carried out and their physical properties such as viscosity, thermodynamic stability, droplet size, and surface tension were determined.