Emulsion Formation Research Articles

Strategies to Improve Cannabidiol Bioavailability and Drug Delivery.

The poor physicochemical properties of cannabidiol (CBD) hamper its clinical development. The aim of this review was to examine the literature to identify novel oral products and delivery strategies for CBD, while assessing their clinical implications and translatability. Evaluation of the published literature revealed that oral CBD strategies are primarily focused on lipid-based and emulsion solutions or encapsulations, which improve the overall pharmacokinetics (PK) of CBD. Some emulsion formulations demonstrate more rapid systemic delivery. Variability in the PK effects of different oral CBD products is apparent across species. Several novel administration routes exist for CBD delivery that may offer promise for specific indications. For example, intranasal administration and inhalation allow quick delivery of CBD to the plasma and the brain, whereas transdermal and transmucosal administration routes deliver CBD systemically more slowly. There are limited but promising data on novel delivery routes such as intramuscular and subcutaneous. Very limited data show that CBD is generally well distributed across tissues and that some CBD products enable increased delivery of CBD to different brain regions. However, evidence is limited regarding whether changes in CBD PK profiles and tissue distribution equate to superior therapeutic efficacy across indications and whether specific CBD products might be suited to particular indications.

Management of wounds in diabetes by administering allicin and quercetin in emulsion form as wound medicine in diabetic rat models.

Wounds in diabetes is a complex problem that requires effective treatment at a high cost. Adjuvant therapy from natural bioactive elements can be an alternative to overcome problems in diabetic wound healing disorders. Allicin and quercetin are natural bioactive substances contained in several fruit or vegetable plants that have various pharmacological effects. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of allicin and quercetin in emulsion form as wound medicine in helping the wound healing process. Diabetic wistar rats with wounds on their backs measuring 1 × 1 cm were divided into four treatment groups which were given wound medicine once a day for seven days according to their distribution. The wound healing process was evaluated on the third and seventh day. Data were observed and analyzed using appropriate statistical tools. Measurement of wound healing indicators was carried out by examining wound contraction and histopathological examination showing that the treatment group given the allicin and quercetin formula experienced an improvement compared to the treatment group without allicin and quercetin. Allicin and quercetin increase the percentage of wound contraction, increase the density of blood vessels and the epithelialization process in the wound so that the wound healing process becomes faster. In conclusion, allicin and quercetin can be effective adjuvant therapies in helping wound healing in diabetes. Wound medication in the form of an emulsion is an effective choice, because it can maintain the stability of the allicin and quercetin content and can make the wound environment moist.

A Simple Non-Embedded Single Capillary Device for On-Demand Complex Emulsion Formation.

This study includes an examination of the design, fabrication, and experimentation of a rudimentary droplet generator. The device has potential applications in on-demand double and higher-order emulsions as well as tailored emulsions with numerous cores. The phenomenon of a pendant double droplet creation is observed when an inner phase is transported through a capillary, while a middle phase envelops the external surface of the capillary. This leads to the occurrence of a pinching-off process at the tip of the pulled capillary. Following this, the double droplet is introduced into a container that is filled with the outer phase. The present study examines the force equilibrium throughout the droplet break-up process and aims to forecast the final morphology of the droplets within the container by considering the impact of interfacial tension ratios. The shell thickness in a core-shell formation can be calculated based on the inner and middle phase flow rates as well as the middle droplet formation period. The present platform, which enables the simple production of double and higher emulsions, exhibits promising prospects for the controlled manufacturing of complex emulsions. This technology holds potential for various applications, including the experimental exploration of collision behavior or electro-hydrodynamics in emulsions as well as millimeter-size engineered microparticle fabrication.

Technological process for treating radioactive TBP/OK spent solvents

Tributyl phosphate (TBP) and kerosene (OK) spent radioactive organic solvents will be produced during the nuclear fuel reprocessing process, which may cause equipment corrosion by direct incineration. Therefore, additives need to be added to prepare a uniformly stable suspension. The amount of each raw material added during the preparation process and the stirring operation can have a significant effect on the performance of the suspension. In this paper, the influence of the amount of each raw material and the stirring rate on the emulsion formation, stabilization time, and fluidity of suspension is studied through different experiments to optimize the suspension formulation of the pyrolysis/incineration processes. The experimental results show that when the volume content of TBP was 30%~60%, the prepared suspension had excellent performance and could be used as the basic solution for suspension formulation. In contrast, when the volume content of TBP was more than 80%, the prepared suspension became less stable, the emulsion phase broke and settled, and the performance of the suspension was poor. When the volume contents of TBP were 30% and 60%, respectively, the DBP content was less than 0.26% and 0.6%, respectively, the Ca-P ratio was 1.25~1.75. Water content was 8~12%. The prepared suspension had great emulsion formation and fluidity. The viscosity and stability time meet the requirements with little secondary waste. The suspension can be applied in TBP/OK spent radioactive organic solvents pyrolysis/incineration reprocessing project.

The impact of selected xanthophylls on oil hydrolysis by pancreatic lipase: in silico and in vitro studies

Lipase inhibition is one of the directions to control obesity. In vitro assays have confirmed the inhibitory effect of selected xanthophylls, including astaxanthin, fucoxanthinol, fucoxanthin, and neoxanthin. Similarly, an in-silico study also demonstrated the successful inhibition of pancreatic lipase by astaxanthin. Unfortunately, the efficacy of these protocols in the emulsion state typical of lipid digestion remains untested. To address this issue, the current study employed the pH–stat test, which mimics lipid digestion in the gastrointestinal tract, to evaluate native and prepared sea buckthorn and rapeseed oils with varying xanthophyll contents from 0 to 1400 mg/kg oil. Furthermore, a molecular docking of zeaxanthin and violaxanthin (commonly found in plant-based foods), astaxanthin (widely distributed in foods of marine origin) and orlistat (approved as a drug) was performed. The in-silico studies revealed comparable inhibitory potential of all tested xanthophylls (variation from − 8.0 to − 9.3 kcal/mol), surpassing that of orlistat (− 6.5 kcal/mol). Nonetheless, when tested in an emulsified state, the results of pH–stat digestion failed to establish the inhibitory effect of xanthophylls in the digested oils. In fact, lipolysis of native xanthophyll-rich sea buckthorn oil was approximately 22% higher than that of the xanthophyll-low preparation. The key insight derived from this study is that the amphiphilic properties of xanthophylls during the digestion of xanthophyll-rich lipids/meals facilitate emulsion formation, which leads to enhanced fat lipolysis.

Mixing dynamics in the synthesis of nanoparticle-stabilized water-in-water emulsion: Impact on size and stability

This communication presents a comprehensive investigation into the impact of mixing on the synthesis of water-in-water Pickering emulsions. The approach employs commercial-grade oppositely charged nanoparticles within two distinct fluid phases, facilitating self-assembly and the formation of aggregates with variable sizes and compositions. Enhanced interfacial area, achieved through aggregate adsorption at the interface, elevates the Gibbs detachment energy of particles between the two aqueous phases, leading to stable emulsion formation. We further explore the effect of various mixing devices, including high-pressure and sonic wave mixing. Our findings reveal that mixing within the aqueous phase critically influences emulsion size, with sonicator-assisted mixing producing smaller droplets than homogenizer mixing. Both devices yield poly-dispersed droplet size distributions. Interestingly, the droplet size correlates well with the Hinze scale (hd), and the Kolmogorov length scale (ld) exhibits good correspondence within a specific operating range. The proposed method introduces a streamlined, one-step synthesis process for easy preparation, demonstrating excellent stability for a minimum of 30 days. This study pioneers the investigation of mixing effects within an aqueous two-phase system utilizing a Pickering emulsion template.

Improving emulsion stabilizing capacity of sodium caseinate by colloidal lignin particles near the isoelectric point

Sodium caseinate (Cas) is an attractive candidate for food emulsion formulation due to its surface-active properties as well as the ability to prevent the oxidation of encapsulation oils. However, the emulsions underwent destabilization near its isoelectric point (pI, around pH 4.8) due to the lack of enough electronic repulsion. To overcome the drawback, colloidal lignin particles (CLPs) fabricated from dietary fiber with superior negative repulsion and abundant surface active sites will be inspiring as the patch of Cas-based emulsion. This study systemically explored the modified effect of varied CLPs concentrations in the Cas-based emulsions prepared at pH 4.8. Due to hydrophobic attractions and hydrogen bonds between protein and CLPs, the CLPs significantly increased the negative charge and viscosity of composites while reduced surface hydrophobicity of Cas. Thus, in contrast to Cas, Cas/CLPs complex can fabricate a more elastic oil-water interfacial film, accompanying with a reduced droplet size (52–136 μm). Despite the inhibition of Cas adsorption at interfacial film, Cas/CLPs complex increase the stability of emulsion mainly by increasing electrostatic repulsion, enhancing film elasticity, and thickening continuous phase. Emulsions fabricated with Cas/CLPs complex effectively protected polyunsaturated fatty acids from deterioration, with the lowest levels of hydroperoxide and malondialdehyde observed in Cas/1.00 %CLPs emulsion. This study uncovered the facts behind the non-covalent interactions of Cas and lignin and proposed a novel strategy to stabilize Cas-based emulsions in acidic conditions.

Numerical investigation of double emulsion formation in non-Newtonian fluids using double co-flow geometry

This paper uses the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method to simulate a double Co-Flow microfluidic device that can produce double emulsions in both Newtonian (water) and non-Newtonian fluids. The simulation is 2D axisymmetric and involves three phases. A model is evaluated in this study to examine how the size and double emulsion’s generation rate are impacted by factors such as phase velocity, viscosities, interfacial tension, and the rheological properties of non-Newtonian fluids. The model predicted the process of emulsification successfully in dripping and jetting regimes and predicted the impacts of phase velocity on the dimension and frequency of compound droplets. Increasing the flow rate of the inner phase causes the inner droplets to grow, while the outer droplet dimensions remain mostly unchanged. Vice versa, an increase in outer phase flow rate reduces compound droplet size. However, when the middle phase's flow rate is enhanced, the size of detached droplets in the inner and outer phases undergoes opposite changes, i.e., decreasing and increasing, respectively. The results showed that in non-Newtonian fluids, smaller droplets are formed compared to water, and the diameter of the double emulsions formed decreases with the rise in the viscosity at zero shear rate of the non-Newtonian fluid.

Sorghum proteins: Effect of extraction pH on physicochemical properties and emulsion formation

Extraction methods suitable for food applications should be studied to obtain new plant protein isolates. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pH (8.0, 10.0, and 12.0) and temperature (20 and 40 °C) during alkaline extraction on the yield and functional and physicochemical characteristics of sorghum protein isolates and to test their ability to stabilize emulsions. The best extraction yield (58.52 %) was at pH 12.0 and 40 °C. The obtained isolates had protein concentration superior to 4-fold as compared to the raw material. Electrophoresis showed mainly prolamins, with some globulin, glutelin, and higher molecular weight polypeptides (>250 kDa). Sorghum protein isolate obtained at pH 12.0 had improved solubility (64.77 %) compared to the isolates obtained at pH 8.0 (14.50 %) and pH 10.0 (17.68 %). Emulsions with 70 % (w/w) of oil showed no phase separation during storage, and those produced with the isolate obtained at pH 12.0 were more stable, with smaller droplet sizes after the 7-day storage (25.17–44.77 μm), lower creaming index, higher emulsion stability index (ESI), and less flocculation. The study demonstrated the functional ability of sorghum protein isolates obtained by alkaline extraction to form concentrated oil-in-water emulsions, avoiding using organic solvents.

Effect of cellulose nanofibrils on stability and digestive properties of legume protein-based emulsions

The global sustainability and health consciousness awakening have contributed to the rise of legume proteins, but the poor emulsion stability of legume proteins limits their application. Herein, cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) isolated from citrus peels were used to improve the stability of pea isolate protein, chickpea isolate protein, and soybean isolate protein emulsions. Results showed that CNFs extracted from citrus peels could improve the interfacial properties of legume proteins via non-covalent interaction. The addition of CNFs could increase interfacial tension and contact angle compared to the legume protein alone. CNFs resulted in the formation of homogeneous emulsions with smaller particle sizes as well as an increase in the viscosity of the emulsions. Meanwhile, the stability of legume protein/CNFs complex emulsions showed significant advantages over single legume protein emulsions in terms of long-term storage, centrifugation, salt ions, and high temperature. Furthermore, legume protein/CNFs emulsions have a lower rate of lipid digestion. These results revealed that CNFs have promising potential for improving legume protein emulsion stability and retarding lipolysis, which provides a theoretical basis for advancing the use of legume proteins.

A comprehensive analysis of carbonate matrix acidizing using viscoelastic diverting acid system in a gas field

This paper explores matrix acidizing, a method to enhance well productivity by injecting acid into the formation to dissolve damage or create flow channels. Focusing on gas well acidizing, it introduces a groundbreaking three-stage approach with hydrochloric acid (HCl) and viscoelastic diverting acid (VDA). Unlike recent research, which often overlooked specific VDA stages and favored VES or surfactant gelled systems, this study innovatively integrates VDA throughout laboratory experimentation, simulation modeling, and operational execution. The article showcases the effectiveness of HCl and VDA in dissolving reservoir materials, preventing issues like emulsion formation and iron precipitation, reducing corrosion and H2S emissions, enhancing penetration depth, fluid flow channels, and stimulating all reservoir layers. Utilizing a numerical model, it recommends an optimal acidizing method with five main acid injection stages and five VDA injection stages. The results demonstrate a notable increase of 100% in gas production, an 84% rise in gas pressure, and a reduction of BS&W from 7 to 3%. Aimed at industry professionals, this paper serves as a guide for optimizing well productivity and gas recovery processes.

Dual-responsive emulsion system: Unraveling pH and host-guest interactions for emulsion stability and enhanced oil recovery

Surfactants facilitate the formation of crude oil emulsions in the petroleum reservoir and reduce oil-water interfacial tension, playing a crucial role in tertiary oil recovery. The host-guest interactions between β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and surfactant molecules can regulate the solubility and hydrophobic interactions of surfactants, further regulating the interfacial and solution aggregation behaviors of the system. A ternary system composed of β-CD, nonionic surfactant Span 80, and anionic amino acid surfactant was designed to act as emulsion stabilizers and promote emulsion formation. Due to the pH responsiveness of the amino acid surfactant and host-guest interactions between the hydrophobic tail of the surfactant and β-CD, the emulsions exhibit dual responsiveness. The pH and β-CD host-guest interaction dual responsiveness determines the emulsion properties. By adjusting the proportion of β-CD in the ternary system and solution pH, the stability, droplet morphology, and rheological properties of the emulsions are all significantly affected. Interactions among emulsion stabilizers as well as their interfacial behaviors were analyzed using 1H NMR spectroscopy and interfacial tension analysis. This type of emulsion was also tested in core flooding experiments, clearly showing that the response of the emulsions to host-guest interactions can enhance crude oil recovery. Incorporating a higher concentration of β-CD into the system can boost additional secondary oil recovery by approximately 32%, while its pH responsiveness facilitates the demulsification of the system after the flooding. These research findings not only highlight the unique properties of the multi-responsive emulsion but also deepen our understanding of the interactions between surfactants. The ternary stabilizer system developed in this study demonstrates broad potential applications in flooding and oil-water separation.

Production and investigation of Pickering emulsion stabilised by casein-Qodume Shirazi (Alyssum homolocarpum) seed gum complex particles: gastrointestinal digestion

Recently, there has been growing research interests in designing Pickering emulsions. In this work, Alyssum homolocarpum seed gum (AHSG) and casein protein (CP) nanoparticles (NPs) fabricated as Pickering stabilizers. AHSG (0.0, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15% (w/w))-CP (2% (w/w)) nanoparticles were fabricated and their properties were investigated (mean diameter, morphology, zeta potential, Fourier transform infra-red, and contact angle). Formation and stability of Pickering emulsion (Pes) stabilized by AHSG-CP NPs were monitored by mean diameter, rheological properties, and in vitro digestion. AHSG-CP Nps exhibited a small size (107.75 ± 0.42-201.52 ± 0.70 nm) and had wettability between 64.94 ± 3.44° and 70.92 ± 7.64°. The stability of PEs was greatly improved by 0.05AHSG-CP NPs, even after 30 days of storage, centrifugation, and in vitro digestion, owing to the reinforcement of particle structure at the oil/water interfaces.This study demonstrates that 0.05% (w/w) AHSG-CP NP showed the highest stability during storage and against gastrointestinal digestion which showed its suitability as a fat reducer emulsion structure.

The Use of Recycled Polyethylene in Water-Oil Emulsion for Lightweight Concrete

This study was to determine the suitability of recycled waste polyethylene (WPE) processed into water-oil emulsion for lightweight concrete applications. The processed WPE in the form of polyethylene emulsion (PE-e) is to promote physical interaction between the polymeric material and the cementitious matrix. The PE-e used was also to partially replace concrete mix composition by PE-e_1, PE-e_2.5, PE-e_5, and PE-e_10 percents for reference concrete and to introduce plasticity into the mechanical behaviour of the concrete. The PE was processed into PE-e to promote affinity for water, and this hydrophilicity was prominent in PE-e_1 and PE-e_2.5 percent concretes. Concretes with PE-e_1 and PE-e_2.5 percent formed good miscibility with the cementitious matrix. The density of the PE-e concrete decreased to 13.68% with 10% PE-e at 28 days. The replacement of mix constituents of PE-e_1, PE-e_2.5, and PE-e_5 percent induced elastic to plastic behaviour in the concrete coupled with low water absorption. The FTIR data showed characteristic peaks of 3378 cm-1, 1740 cm-1, and 1148 cm-1 in the PE-e. Using optical microscopy, it was shown that the PE particles were homogenously dispersed in the concrete matrix. The study shows the feasibility of using PE-e_1 percent to produce structural lightweight concrete and up to PE-e_10 percent for nonstructural applications mainly for light non-load-bearing partitions.

Insight on the interaction between soybean protein isolate and ionic/non-ionic polysaccharides: Structural analysis, oil-water interface properties investigation and double emulsion formation

In this study, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and xanthan gum (XG) were utilized to enhance the interfacial activity of soybean protein isolate (SPI) by forming complexes with SPI, respectively. Meanwhile, SPI-HPMC and SPI-XG were used to construct a double emulsion to investigate the effects of the interaction of ionic/nonionic polysaccharides with SPI on the performances of the double emulsion. The results of multispectral analyses showed that both HPMC and XG induced structural changes in SPI, thereby exposing a large number of hydrophobic groups. Moreover, molecular simulation results showed high stability of the complexes formed by SPI with HPMC and XG. The results of molecular simulations showed that the complexes formed by SPI with HPMC and XG were highly stable. Furthermore, the ability of SPI to reduce interfacial tension at the oil-water interface and its emulsifying ability was enhanced by the formation of complexes with polysaccharides, which also improved the physicochemical properties of the double emulsion stabilized by the SPI-polysaccharide complex. When the phase ratio (W1/O:W2) was 4:6 and the polysaccharide addition was 0.4%, the double emulsion showed the smallest particle size, the highest encapsulation efficiency and the best stability. Th in vitro digestion models demonstrated that the SPI-XG double emulsion could effectively protect the encapsulated bioactives during the digestion process and increase their bioaccessibility to 70.86%. In summary, this study was beneficial in corroborating the ability of ionic/non-ionic polysaccharides in improving the interfacial properties of SPI and improving the performance of the double emulsion.

The Effect of Ionic Strength on the Formation and Stability of Ovalbumin-Xanthan Gum Complex Emulsions.

Protein-polysaccharide complexes have been widely used to stabilize emulsions, but the effect of NaCl on ovalbumin-xanthan gum (OVA-XG) complex emulsions is unclear. Therefore, OVA-XG complex emulsions with different XG concentrations at pH 5.5 were prepared, and the effects of NaCl on them were explored. The results indicated that the NaCl significantly affected the interaction force between OVA-XG complexes. The NaCl improved the adsorption of proteins at the oil-water interface and significantly enhanced emulsion stability, and the droplet size and zeta potential of the emulsion gradually decreased with increasing NaCl concentrations (0-0.08 M). In particular, 0.08 M NaCl was added to the OVA-0.2% XG emulsion, which had a minimum droplet size of 18.3 μm. Additionally, XG as a stabilizer could improve the stability of the emulsions, and the OVA-0.3% XG emulsion also exhibited good stability, even without NaCl. This study further revealed the effects of NaCl on emulsions, which has positive implications for the application of egg white proteins in food processing.

Semistable emulsion assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the determination of fungicide residues via HPLC

Fungicide residues in food can pose serious hazards to humans. The aim of this study was to establish a new method of semistable emulsion assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) for the preconcentration and determination of fungicide residues in juice samples. In this study, Gum Acacia (GA) was selected as the dispersive agent and decanoic acid was adopted as the extractant in aqueous sample. Based on that, a semistable emulsion was induced to facilitate the extraction of target analytes and automatic phase separation. The mechanistic analysis results revealed that the formation of the semistable emulsion was attributed to the mild emulsification of GA with a high molecular weight. Besides, the semistable emulsiont allowed the automatic phase separation in DLLME for the first time. Moreover, the novel method was optimized for detecting fungicide residues and exhibited good linearity (R2 ≥ 0.995), precision (≤16.2 %), matrix effect (≤9.8 %), method recovery (84.0–103.6 %), as well as a low limit of detection (0.5–2.5 μg·L−1) and quantitation (1–5 μg·L−1). In conclusion, this method can be employed to effectively measure fungicide residues in juice samples (orange, grape, carrot and peach). Furthermore, this method can be considered as an effective DLLME alternative for the automatic pretreatment of samples, exhibiting a promising application prospect in food safety.

In-situ emulsification in low-tension surfactant/polymer systems: Impacts on enhanced oil recovery

The flow of two immiscible liquids in porous media can lead to fluid mixing, resulting in emulsions—where one phase is dispersed as droplets in the other. In reservoir rocks, natural surfactants and polar molecules, like asphaltenes, can promote oil–water emulsion formation. During chemically enhanced oil recovery processes (CEOR) such as surfactant, alkali, or surfactant-alkali flooding, in-situ emulsification is often seen as key to enhancing frontal stability and facilitating the piston-like displacement of oil by water. However, this work reports a minimal effect of in-situ emulsification on oil production during surfactant-polymer (SP) flooding. Experimental studies show this by injecting prepared emulsions into a multi pressure-tap core holder and examining emulsion formation in one reservoir core before moving it into a second core for oil displacement. This helps us understand the specific role of emulsions in oil mobilization. Factors like surfactant concentration, interfacial tension, and the timing of introducing the surfactant-polymer solution do influence the intensity of in-situ emulsification. Yet, the incremental oil recoveries show no significant differences. Through similar experiments, it is observed that ultra-low interfacial tension (IFT) in our surfactant-polymer system is the primary mechanism for oil mobilization. The slight increase in pressures suggests that in-situ emulsification has a limited role in increasing flow resistance during the ultra-low IFT SP flood process, potentially not improving the swept volume. This research can guide the development of systematic approaches to analyze the effects of in-situ emulsification on oil mobilization and evaluate chemical flooding processes.

Design and evaluation of deltamethrin‐based microemulsion formulation to control Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

AbstractA microemulsion is a stable, homogeneous pesticide formulation, based on an aqueous solvent, which is considered as a suitable alternative to emulsion formulations. In this study, microemulsion formulations of deltamethrin insecticide were designed to control Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), one of the important pests of many crops and ornamental plants. The solvent was selected based on the higher solubility of deltamethrin, and the appropriate surfactants were selected based on the quality of microemulsion formation. Pseudo‐ternary phase diagrams were constructed by the water titration method. The microemulsion systems were prepared using mixtures composed of deltamethrin, surfactants including Kenon 10 + SDS, Tensiofix 8427 + SDS and Tensiofix 8427 + SLS, and cosurfactant (1‐butanol). The Physico‐chemical properties of the obtained microemulsions were also evaluated. The appearance of microemulsion systems was transparent, and the droplet size of all samples was less than 20 nm. The formulations showed thermodynamic stability and low viscosity. All four microemulsion formulations had high insecticidal activity against A. gossypii, compared with an aqueous solution of pure deltamethrin. In this study, an environment‐friendly microemulsion system was designed to improve the efficacy of deltamethrin for controlling populations of A. gossypii. However, further research could be performed to assess the behaviour and ultimate fate in the environment prior to commercialization.

Association between two different lipid injectable emulsions and parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis in very low birth weight infants: A retrospective cohort study.

Using soybean oil-based lipid emulsions (Intralipid), which contain higher amounts of ω-6 fatty acids and phytosterols in parenteral nutrition, is a risk factor for cholestasis (parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis [PNAC]). An alternative form of a mixed lipid emulsion (SMOFlipid) has been developed to reduce the risk of PNAC, but significant benefits over Intralipid in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants have yet to be demonstrated. The aim of this study was to compare the differences in PNAC incidence in VLBW infants receiving SMOFlipid vs Intralipid. The study was conducted in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of the Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China, from January 2016 to March 2022. In total, 235 VLBW infants were administered SMOFlipid or Intralipid for ≥21 days and were included in the study. The primary outcome was the incidence of PNAC. Secondary outcomes included bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, late-onset sepsis, length of stay, weight 28 days after birth, severity of PNAC, and the time to reversal of PNAC. Forty-four VLBW infants (35.5%) in the SMOFlipid group vs 41 (36.9%) in the Intralipid group achieved PNAC (P = 0.817). The subgroup analysis showed that the peak direct bilirubin level was lower (median [interquartile range] 55.6 [36.4] vs 118.4 [77.2] μmol/L; P < 0.001), and the time to reversal of PNAC was shorter (44 [49] vs 96 [61]; P < 0.001) in the SMOFlipid group than in the Intralipid group. SMOFlipid may represent a better alternative for VLBW infants who require prolonged parenteral nutrition.