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Development of stable curcumin nanoemulsions: effects of emulsifier type and surfactant-to-oil ratios

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Abstract

Curcumin, a natural polyphenolic compound, offers a wide range of pharmacological benefits such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer. The oil-in-water nanoemulsions containing curcumin were obtained by high pressure homogenization and effects of various emulsifiers (Tween-80, lecithin, whey protein isolate and acacia) and different surfactant-to-oil ratios (SOR) on physicochemical characteristics, physical stability and storage stability of curcumin loaded nanoemulsions were evaluated in this study. The result showed that smaller particle size, better physical and storage stabilities and higher curcumin content were found in curcumin loaded nanoemulsions stabilized with Tween-80 and lecithin. Compared with nanoemulsions prepared with lecithin, nanoemulsions fabricated with Tween-80 exhibited better uniformity and distribution as demonstrated by microscopic observations. It was found that SOR was positively correlated with particle size but negatively correlated with curcumin content in the emulsion droplets. Neither the emulsifier nor SOR values were found to have significant effects on zeta-potentials of the droplets. This result implied that curcumin loaded nanoemulsions prepared with Tween-80 and higher SOR values helped curcumin to achieve better physical stability and storage stability.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the financial support by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2016YFD0400804). The authors are grateful to Dr. Gao and Dr. Mao for providing assistance in improving the language of the articles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, Beijing Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Box 112, No. 17 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, People’s Republic of China

    Peihua Ma, Qinghan Zeng, Kedong Tai, Xiaoye He, Yanyu Yao, Xiaofeng Hong & Fang Yuan

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  1. Peihua Ma
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  2. Qinghan Zeng
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  3. Kedong Tai
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  4. Xiaoye He
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  7. Fang Yuan
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Correspondence to Fang Yuan.

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Ma, P., Zeng, Q., Tai, K. et al. Development of stable curcumin nanoemulsions: effects of emulsifier type and surfactant-to-oil ratios. J Food Sci Technol 55, 3485–3497 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-018-3273-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-018-3273-0

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