Characterization, and discrimination between free quercetin and quercetin-loaded nanoemulsions (Q-NEs) are described, as well as the design of a plasmonic metal liquid platform for their ...quantitation. First, reproducible Q-NEs synthesis using GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) components and a low-energy method as phase inversion temperature was used. Q-NEs were fully characterized being the resulting droplet size of 73.1 ± 2.4 nm and 69.7 ± 2.3 nm by DLS and SEM, respectively, with spherical morphology and encapsulation efficiency of 96.5%. Based on UV-Vis, Raman and SERS characterization studies, a discrimination between free quercetin and Q-NEs was achieved. Secondly, a new 3D-platform was developed based on tuned gold nanorods-bone shaped with fitted aspect ratios for Q-NEs quantification without altering its native nanostructure using the enhanced stretching at 1600 cm-1 as analytical signal. The developed plasmonic sensing platform allows to reach intensification factors up to 103 and 105 for the target analyte and methylene blue as Raman reporter, respectively. It was also submitted to an exhaustive evaluation of analytical performance characteristics in terms of linear dynamic range (0.5 – 30 µM), detection limit (0.2 µM) with good precision (RSD = 2.6%). The nanometrological 3D SERS approach was reliably implemented and validated on commercial nutritional supplements containing declared encapsulated quercetin as nanosized formulations by means of a statistical comparison with those ones obtained by a µHPLC-DAD method.
•Optimized PIT synthesis attending size, polydispersity and encapsulation efficiency.•Multi shaped AuNPs and aspect ratio optimization to get EM magnification.•Discrimination between free and encapsulated quercetin.•3D interfacial SERS quantification of encapsulated nanosized quercetin.•Designed Plasmonic Metal Liquid (PML) system reaches improvements for reproducibility.
Preparation of curcumin-loaded microemulsions (ME, simple stirring) and nanoemulsions (NE, ultrasonication).
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•Phenolics have received great attention in the food, pharmaceutical and ...nutraceutical industries.•Their extensive use is limited mainly due to their poor water dispersibility and instability.•Nano/microemulsions have been widely used to encapsulate phenolics.•Stability, encapsulation efficiency, cytotoxicity, bioavailability and releasing rate are discussed.
Phenolic compounds (phenolics) have received great attention in the food, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries due to their health-promoting attributes. However, their extensive use is limited mainly due to their poor water dispersibility and instability under both processing conditions and/or gastrointestinal interactions, affecting their bioavailability/bioaccessibility. Therefore, different nanocarriers have been widely used to encapsulate phenolics and overcome the aforementioned challenges. To the best of our knowledge, besides many research studies, no comprehensive review on encapsulation of phenolics by microemulsions (MEs) and nanoemulsions (NEs) has been published so far. The present study was therefore attempted to review the loading of phenolics into MEs and NEs. In addition, the fundamental characteristics of the developed systems such as stability, encapsulation efficiency, cytotoxicity, bioavailability and releasing rate are also discussed. Both MEs and NEs are proved as appropriate vehicles to encapsulate and protect phenolics which may expand their applications in foods, supplements and pharmaceuticals.
Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), as a natural flavonoid, has been proven to have therapeutic potential for corneal neovascularization (CNV) treatment; however, its therapeutic use is restricted due to its ...poor aqueous solubility and limited bioavailability. To overcome these limitations, a novel ISL-loaded nanoemulsion (ISL-NE) was designed for inhibiting CNV in this study. ISL-NE formulation was composed of propylene glycol dicaprylate (PGD), Cremophor® EL (EL35), polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) and adding water with sodium hyaluronate, its particle size was 34.56 ± 0.80 nm with a low polydispersity index of less than 0.05, which suggested a narrow size distribution. The results demonstrated that ISL-NE released higher and permeated more drug than ISL suspension (ISL-Susp) in in vitro drug release and ex vivo corneal permeation study. ISL-NE showed no cytotoxicity in human corneal epithelial cells toxicity study, which was consistent with the result of ocular irritation study in rabbit eyes. ISL-NE had bioavailability 5.76-fold, 7.80-fold and 2.13-fold higher than ISL-Sups in tears, cornea and aqueous humor after a single dose of ISL-NE, respectively. Furthermore, the efficacy of ISL-NE treatment (0.2% ISL) was comparable to that of dexamethasone treatment (0.025%) in the inhibition of CNV in mice model. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the expressions of corneal vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2) were decreased. In conclusion, the ISL-NE demonstrated excellent physicochemical properties, good tolerance, and enhanced ocular bioavailability. It could be a promising, safe, and effective treatment for CNV.
Soft drinks are one of the most widely consumed and profitable beverages in the world. This review article focuses on the utilization of emulsion science and technology for the fabrication of soft ...drinks by the beverage industry. A brief overview of the various high and low energy methods available for preparing this type of beverage emulsions is given, as well as a discussion of the functional ingredients used to formulate these systems, including oil phases, emulsifiers, weighting agents, ripening inhibitors, and thickening agents. The influence of droplet characteristics on the physicochemical and sensory properties of beverage emulsions is reviewed, with special focus on their influence on product stability. Finally, we discuss recent developments in the soft drinks area, including fortification with vitamins, reduced calorie beverages, and “all-natural” products.
The article provides an overview of recent research on the formation, stability, and properties of beverage emulsions. Display omitted
The present investigation was aimed to fabricate oil in water curcumin loaded nanoemulsions (Cur-NE) stabilized using Tween 20 employing ultrasonication for the encapsulation of curcumin. Effect of ...various process variables such as surfactant and oil concentration and sonication time intervals on the stability of curcumin nanoemulsions were studied by characterizing droplet size, polydisperity index (PDI), zeta-potential (ζ), Encapsulation Efficiency (EE), DPPH-Radicals Scavenging Activity (RSA) and turbidity of formulated nanoemulsions. Cur-NE designed using oil 5 mL/100 mL, 1.5 % surfactant and treated for 20 min of ultrasound fetched better results for droplet size (138.9 nm), PDI (0.187), ζ-potential (−20.7 mV), EE (93.6 %) and RSA (67.56 %). Physical stability of Cur-NE was investigated by exposing them to variable thermal stress conditions. Stable emulsions obtained were characterized for their morphology and in vitro release kinetics under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The morphology results were also verified the successful designing of ultrasound assisted curcumin loaded nanoemulsion. Results of in vitro release studies suggested that the optimized Cur-NE were resistant to pepsin digestion with less than 10 % release of curcumin whereas incubation under intestinal conditions led to approximately 23 % release of curcumin indicating its slow release and increased bioavailability. Therefore, outcomes of the study demonstrated the important implications in designing of encapsulation systems for various bioactive compounds for their effective and controlled delivery in various food products.
•Fabricated a stable Cur-NE employing ultrasound assisted emulsification techniques.•Encapsulation efficiencies as high as 93% and higher antioxidant activities.•Fetched enhanced resistance to release under gastric conditions.•Nanoemulsion has potential for targeted delivery system for curcumin.
Resveratrol (R) is an antioxidant that helps several aspects of aging skin. However, it is slightly soluble in water and unstable under light exposure, necessitating the use of suitable formulations ...for improved clinical efficacy. Therefore, this study aimed to prepare R-loaded lipid-based nanocarriers for topical delivery, i.e., nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) and nanoemulsions (NEs). R-loaded nanocarrier gels were further prepared to increase R loading. The comparative physical properties and antioxidant activity of nanocarriers were performed in terms of particle size, zeta potential, morphology, rheology, R content, in vitro release, antioxidant activity, cytotoxicity and stability. The results revealed that R was successfully loaded into NLCs and NE gels (NEGs), having different physical properties and antioxidant activity depending on the composition of lipid-based nanocarriers. R could be incorporated into NEs and the aqueous gelling phase, resulting in higher R loading. Furthermore, the gelling network was responsible for pseudoplastic flow behavior. The cumulative amount of R released from NEGs was significantly higher than that from NLCs due to the co-surfactant-like properties of NEGs, which resulted in smaller particle sizes. However, NLCs exhibited significantly more antioxidant activity and less cytotoxicity compared to NEGs. The stability of both nanosystems showed no significant change when stored at refrigerator temperature for over 3 months. In conclusion, the various compositions of lipid-based nanocarriers produced a range of physical properties and antioxidant activity. Nonetheless, these NLCs and NEGs have the potential to be nanocarriers for R, which has antioxidant properties for topical application.
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In article number 2010698, Yosuke Niko and co‐workers report a novel dye‐loaded nanoemulsion for high‐speed two‐photon microscopic imaging of the deep‐brain vasculature in mice. The nanoprobe fully ...exploits the performance of a Ti:sapphire laser and a gallium arsenide phosphide detector, allowing the visualization of hippocampal blood flow in mice at a high frame rate of 120 fps.
There is considerable interest in the production of emulsions and nanoemulsions using low‐energy methods due to the fact they are simple to implement and no expensive equipment is required. In this ...review, the principles of isothermal (spontaneous emulsification and emulsion phase inversion) and thermal (phase inversion temperature) low‐energy methods for nanoemulsion production are presented. The major factors influencing nanoemulsion formation using low‐energy methods and food‐grade components are reviewed: preparation conditions, oil type, surfactant type, surfactant‐to‐oil ratio, and cosolvent or cosurfactant addition. The advantages and disadvantages of different low‐energy and high‐energy methods for fabricating nanoemulsions are highlighted, and potential applications for these techniques are discussed.
This study aims to fabricate Eryngium campestre essential oil (ECEO) encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles (CHNPs) through an ion gelation method. The resultant CHNP-ECEO dispersions were characterized ...in terms of particle size, zeta potential and polydispersity index. To extend the shelf-life of sweet cherries, we have coated a thin layer of CHNP-ECEO on the surface of the fruits. The cherries coated with various concentrations of encapsulated ECEO, were assessed for their physicochemical characteristics (weight loss, pH, titratable acidity, respiration rate, firmness, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic contents) and microbial growth during the 21 days storage at 4 °C. The results showed a significant reduction of the microbial counts for all CHNP-ECEO coated cherries throughout the experiment. Besides, all CHNP-ECEO coated cherries exhibited a reduced titratable acid and weight loss compared to the control whereas the pH, firmness, total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity were changed in reverse direction and moderately increased. In conclusion, the coatings composed of CHNPs and ECEO were demonstrated to be efficient in controlling the microbial growth of the cherries and can be comparably applied for other types of fruits with similar compositions.
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•Eryngium campestre essential oil (EO) was loaded into chitosan nanoparticles.•Fresh cherries were coated with chitosan nanoparticles containing encapsulated EO.•Nano-encapsulation of EO improved the quality and shelf life of cherries.•Edible coating did not confer an unacceptably intense color to the cherries.•Encapsulation of EO was effective in reducing the microbial count during cold storage.
Nanoemulsions have been described as carriers of bioactive compounds since they can protect them during digestion and improve their bioaccessibility. However, their stability and bioaccessibility can ...be influenced by nanoemulsion composition, mainly by the lipid phase characteristics. Consequently, this study aimed to evaluate three different carrier oils (avocado-AVO, flaxseed-FLA, and chia-CHI) on the stability and bioaccessibility of α-tocopherol carried in nanoemulsions. Particle characteristics (particle size-PS and polydispersity index-PdI) and oxidative stability of nanoemulsions, and α-tocopherol degradation during storage were determined. In addition, free fatty acids (FFAs) release kinetics and α-tocopherol bioaccessibility during in vitro digestion were analyzed. Results showed that all nanoemulsions were colloidally stable due to their droplet characteristics (PS < 200 nm and PdI<0.2), where no phase separation was observed. AVO nanoemulsion was the most stable against oxidation due to its high monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids, while CHI nanoemulsion showed the highest chemical stability of α-tocopherol during storage. Besides, AVO nanoemulsion showed the most significant release of FFA (94%) and the highest α-tocopherol bioaccessibility (81%). In conclusion, the oil type affects the chemical stability and bioaccessibility of α-tocopherol carried in nanoemulsions. Thus, AVO oil can be used as a carrier of fat-soluble vitamins to increase its bioaccessibility during digestion.
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•Nanoemulsions with α-tocopherol stability and bioaccessibility depend on carrier oil.•Avocado oil-based nanoemulsions improve a-tocopherol stability and bioaccessibility.•Nanoemulsions can be helpful for aqueous beverages enrichment with lipid vitamin.
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