Abstract
In this study, two saponins-rich plant extracts, viz. Saponaria officinalis and Quillaja saponaria, were used as surfactants in an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion based on hempseed oil (HSO). This study focused on a low oil phase content of 2% v/v HSO to investigate stable emulsion systems under minimum oil phase conditions. Emulsion stability was characterized by the emulsification index (EI), centrifugation tests, droplet size distribution as well as microscopic imaging. The smallest droplets recorded by dynamic light scattering (droplets size v. number), one day after the preparation of the emulsion, were around 50–120 nm depending the on use of Saponaria and Quillaja as a surfactant and corresponding to critical micelle concentration (CMC) in the range 0–2 g/L. The surface and interfacial tension of the emulsion components were studied as well. The effect of emulsions on environmental bacteria strains was also investigated. It was observed that emulsions with Saponaria officinalis extract exhibited slight toxic activity (the cell metabolic activity reduced to 80%), in contrast to Quillaja emulsion, which induced Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 17400 growth. The highest-stability samples were those with doubled CMC concentration. The presented results demonstrate a possible use of oil emulsions based on plant extract rich in saponins for the food industry, biomedical and cosmetics applications, and nanoemulsion preparations.
Highlights
Fats and oils are key elements of the human diet, providing essential fatty acids [1,2] which are often employed as raw materials for food production
The performed investigations confirmed the possible use of selected plant extracts containing saponins as a stabilizer for low oil-concentration hempseed oil emulsion
Concentration of saponins’ content plant-based stabilizers helped in obtaining 100% emulsion stability, which decresed to only 98% and 90% after seven days of storage for Saponaria and Quillaja extracts, respectively
Summary
Fats and oils are key elements of the human diet, providing essential fatty acids [1,2] which are often employed as raw materials for food production. The balanced ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (from 2.1 to 3.1) in HSO is considered optimal for human health and triggers several physiological reactions in the body, including vasodilation, pro-aggregator, and inflammatory responses [3,4]. HSO has shown antimicrobial activity against some bacteria including Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus as well as Escherichia coli [7,8]. Showing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties make HSO suitable as the oil phase for various emulsion systems
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