Encapsulation of Lipophilic Bioactive Molecules by Microchannel Emulsification |
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Authors: | Marcos A Neves Henelyta S Ribeiro Isao Kobayashi Mitsutoshi Nakajima |
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Institution: | (1) Food Engineering Division, National Food Research Institute, 2-1-12 Kannondai, Tsukuba Ibaraki, 305-8642, Japan;(2) Physical & Engineering Sciences, Unilever Corporate Research, Colworth Science Park, MK44 1LQ Sharnbrook, UK;(3) Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennoudai, Tsukuba Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan |
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Abstract: | Currently, much effort is being invested in novel formulations of bioactive molecules, such as emulsions, for pharmaceutical,
food, and cosmetic applications. Therefore, methods to produce emulsions with controlled-size droplets of uniform size distribution
have been developed. On this concern, a microfluidic device called the microchannel (MC) was used in this work for emulsification.
This is a novel method for producing monodispersed emulsion droplets with very narrow droplet size distribution and low energy
input, due to the spontaneous droplet generation basically driven by the interfacial tension, unlike other conventional emulsification
processes. This technology provides the formulation of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing lipophilic active molecules
with increased bioavailability, which may be readily absorbed by the human body. MC emulsification enables the preparation
of highly monodispersed O/W emulsions, which may be applied as enhancer on active molecules delivery systems, as well as in
foodstuff. In this study, formulations of O/W emulsions loaded with bioactive molecules, such as β-carotene and γ-oryzanol,
were prepared by the MC emulsification process. Refined soybean oil containing the dissolved lipophilic molecule and either
sugar ester or gelatin solution (1 wt.%) were used as the dispersed and continuous phases, respectively. The emulsification
process conducted using the asymmetric straight-through MC plate enabled the production of monodispersed O/W emulsions, resulting
in β-carotene-loaded O/W emulsions with average droplet size (d
av) of 27.6 μm and coefficient of variation (CV) of 2.3% and γ-oryzanol-loaded droplets with d
av of 28.8 μm and CV of 3.8%. The highly monodisperse β-carotene-loaded droplets were physically stable throughout the storage
period observed, resulting in droplets with d
av 28.2 μm and CV of 2.9% after 4 months storage in darkness at 5 °C. Single micrometer-sized monodisperse emulsions loaded
with β-carotene were successfully formulated using the grooved MC emulsification, resulting in droplets with d
av of 9.1 μm and CV of 6.2%.
This work was funded by The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, through the Food Nanotechnology Project,
and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. |
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Keywords: | β -carotene γ -oryzanol Emulsification Asymmetric microchannel Grooved microchannel Monodisperse Oil-in-water emulsion |
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