Curcumin-loaded nanoemulsions produced by the emulsion inversion point (EIP) method: An evaluation of process parameters and physico-chemical stability

• Published in: Journal of food engineering 2016-01, Vol.169, p.1-9
• Main Authors: Borrin, Thais R., Georges, Eduarda L., Moraes, Izabel C.F., Pinho, Samantha C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catastrophic phase inversion; Curcumin; Low energy emulsification; Nanoemulsions
• ISSN: 0260-8774; 1873-5770
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2015.08.012

Curcumin is a natural antioxidant dye that has a wide spectrum of biological activities (e.g., anti-cancer, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities), and there is a high interest within the food industry to increase its use as a natural additive. However, due to its high hydrophobicity, it is difficult to incorporate into aqueous formulations and its bioavailability can be severely decreased. Lipid-based encapsulation systems such as nanoemulsions can help to overcome both of these drawbacks. In this study, curcumin-loaded nanoemulsions were produced by the emulsification inversion point method, for which some of the operational parameters were optimized. The most stable formulations were composed of 20% soybean oil, 10% Tween 80 and 20% glycerol and were produced with an anchor blade impeller operating at 300 rpm; this combination of parameters resulted in 0.07% encapsulation of the curcumin. After 60 days, 70% of the initial amount of curcumin remained in the nanoemulsions, which is a promising result when compared with those of other lipid-based encapsulation systems. The data also indicated that the catastrophic phase inversion occurred due to the formation of multiple o/w/o emulsions. •Nanoemulsions with average diameter of 200 nm were produced by emulsion inversion point method.•Scalable process conditions (mechanical stirring and aqueous flow pumping) were optimized.•Glycerol as cosolvent was necessary for the production of nanoemulsions by the EIP method.•Nanoemulsions protected curcumin for a period longer than usually found in the literature.