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Microchannel emulsification using gelatin and surfactant-free coacervate microencapsulation.
Kei Nakagawa1, Satoshi Iwamoto, Mitsutoshi Nakajima
1Division of Food Engineering, National Food Research Institute, 2-1-12 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8642, Japan.
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|August 18, 2004
Summary
This study introduces a novel surfactant-free method using microchannel (MC) emulsification with gelatin to create uniform soybean oil microcapsules. This technique successfully produces monodisperse emulsions and complex coacervate microcapsules for various applications.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Microchannel (MC) emulsification is a method for creating emulsions.
- Surfactants are typically required for MC emulsification but can interfere with coacervation.
- Gelatin and acacia complex coacervation is a method for microencapsulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of microchannel emulsification for producing monodisperse gelatin/acacia complex coacervate microcapsules of soybean oil.
- To develop a surfactant-free system for microencapsulation.
- To optimize MC emulsification conditions using gelatin.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of MC emulsification using gelatin versus decaglycerol monolaurate.
- Investigation of MC emulsification under varying conditions (pH, gelatin concentration, gelatin bloom).
- Microencapsulation of surfactant-free monodisperse droplets using coacervation.
Main Results:
- Gelatin demonstrated potential for MC emulsification, offering a surfactant-free alternative.
- Optimal conditions included maintaining the continuous phase pH above gelatin's isoelectric point.
- Low-bloom gelatin and controlled gelatin concentration yielded monodisperse emulsions.
- Successfully produced microcapsules with average inner core and outer shell diameters of 37.8 and 51.5 micrometers, respectively, with low polydispersity.
Conclusions:
- Microchannel emulsification with gelatin is a viable surfactant-free method for producing monodisperse emulsions.
- This technique enables the creation of uniform gelatin/acacia complex coacervate microcapsules.
- The developed method offers a novel approach for microencapsulation with controlled particle size.