Thyme oil nanoemulsions coemulsified by sodium caseinate and lecithin

Many nanoemulsions are currently formulated with synthetic surfactants. The objective of the present work was to study the possibility of blending sodium caseinate (NaCas) and lecithin to prepare transparent thyme oil nanoemulsions. Thyme oil was emulsified using NaCas and soy lecithin individually or in combination at neutral pH by shear homogenization. The surfactant combination improved the oil content in transparent/translucent nanoemulsions, from 1.0% to 2.5% w/v for 5% NaCas with and without 1% lecithin, respectively. Nanoemulsions prepared with the NaCas-lecithin blend had hydrodynamic diameters smaller than 100 nm and had significantly smaller and more narrowly distributed droplets than those prepared with NaCas or lecithin alone. Particle dimension and protein surface load data suggested the coadsorption of both surfactants on oil droplets. These characteristics of nanoemulsions minimized destabilization mechanisms of creaming, coalescence, and Ostwald ripening, as evidenced by no significant changes in appearance and particle dimension after 120-day storage at 21 °C.