Insecticide formulations based on nicotine oleate stabilized by sodium caseinate

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Chemistry
• Entomology

Background:

• Growing demand for organic farming practices necessitates safer crop protection methods.
• Botanical insecticides, like nicotine, present a viable alternative to synthetic pesticides.
• Developing stable and effective formulations is crucial for the commercial viability of botanical insecticides.

Purpose of the Study:

• To formulate and characterize nicotine-based botanical insecticides.
• To investigate the effect of nicotine oleate concentration on formulation properties and bioactivity.
• To identify optimal formulations for effective and stable insecticide applications.

Main Methods:

• Formulation of nicotine as a dispersion stabilized by sodium caseinate.
• Characterization of phase transitions (emulsion, suspo-emulsion, suspension) based on nicotine oleate concentration.
• Evaluation of biological activity, viscosity, dispersion time, and protein surface coverage.
• Assessment of creaming and microbiological stability over 4 months.

Main Results:

• Nicotine oleate formulations exhibited distinct phase transitions at specific concentrations.
• Formulation properties such as viscosity and dispersion time were concentration-dependent.
• An 8.2 wt % nicotine oleate emulsion and an 8.7 wt % suspo-emulsion demonstrated optimal bioactivity and physical characteristics.
• Formulations maintained stability for at least 4 months without loss of efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Nicotine oleate formulations offer a promising avenue for developing effective botanical insecticides.
• Optimized emulsion and suspo-emulsion formulations provide a balance of bioactivity and desirable physical properties.
• These formulations exhibit good stability, supporting their potential use in sustainable agriculture.