Differences in antioxidants distribution and degradation kinetics in oil-in-water emulsions with and without salts

This study investigated antioxidant distribution and degradation in O/W emulsions as affected by salts. Results showed that substituting NaCl with KCl reduced the concentration of propyl gallate and lauryl gallate in the aqueous phase of Tween 20-stabilized and CTAB-stabilized emulsions, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients showed that in Tween 20-stabilized emulsions, aqueous lauryl gallate, instead of total lauryl gallate, had a stronger correlation with oxidation parameters, whereas propyl gallate exhibited the opposite trend. However, this difference in the correlation between aqueous/total antioxidant and oxidation parameters was not seen in CTAB-stabilized emulsions. Moreover, four mathematical models were applied to illustrate antioxidant degradation in emulsions containing different salts. Gompertz and Weibull models showed potential to assess antioxidant depletion behaviors. Interaction indices between salts and antioxidants indicated slight antagonism or an additive effect. These findings highlighted the need to consider the presence of different salts when studying antioxidant performance in emulsions.