Abstract
Nanoemulsions are submicron-size colloidal systems that have the ability to encapsulate, protect, and deliver active ingredients. They have been used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries to improve the absorption of drugs by the skin or via the gastrointestinal tract, aide in food conservation, and treat skin problems. To proper formulate a nanoemulsion, it is important to know the characteristics of its components (aqueous and oil phases, surfactants and additives), as well as the influence on the production method that will be used. This study investigates the influence of aqueous phase composition, stability and particle size in an oil-and-water nanoemulsion formation. By using a low energy method, the purified water was exchanged for different commercial mineral water and saline solutions, and the results of stability, particle size, pH and conductivity tests, were compared. These results show that the minerals present in commercial waters may alter the particle size, pH and conductivity values of nanoemulsions, as well as their stability.
Highlights
Nanoemulsions (NEs) are colloidal systems in which particle sizes are in the nanometric scale and which draw attention due to their capacity to encapsulate, protect and deliver active ingredients of the formulation
0.1, indicating a monodispersed NE. These results suggest that the addition of NaHCO3 in the aqueous phase may have improved stability, considering that the size and polydispersity index (PdI) values of NE*a showed only a small variation before and after the cycle
Mineral waters of different composition were used as aqueous phases to produce NEs while using the same basic formulation
Summary
Nanoemulsions (NEs) are colloidal systems in which particle sizes are in the nanometric scale and which draw attention due to their capacity to encapsulate, protect and deliver active ingredients of the formulation. The small size of the particle means the surface area-to-volume ratio is large, which may be advantageous for applications in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products due to their ability to incorporate hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs and a low occurrence of irritation, a high interfacial area-to-volume ratio, and an increased drug penetration through the skin, as compared to microemulsions [1,2]. Though this system is thermodynamically unstable, the selection of ingredients and preparation method are essential factors to produce systems that will remain stable for a long period of time [3]. These methods include spontaneous emulsification, phase inversion temperature, Molecules 2020, 25, 603; doi:10.3390/molecules25030603 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules
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