Correlation between emulsifier concentration and emulsion droplet size in oil‐in‐water emulsion stabilized by zein nanoparticles

Abstract

Pickering emulsification, a very important technique that was found as early as the 1900s, is still a very valuable tool that is used by many researchers because it provides high stability and reduced coalescence. Scientists have recently realized the usefulness of zein, corn protein, as an emulsifier in making Pickering emulsions and research into this corn protein has been growing rapidly since the beginning of the 21^st century. Therefore, an investigation of the basic properties of zein would not only have great value, but would also open up many possible future studies on zein. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between emulsifier concentration and emulsion droplet size in oil-in-water emulsion systems stabilized by zein nanoparticles. The emulsion system was made through two-stage liquid-liquid dispersion. Five different concentrations of zein nanoparticle emulsifier (0.5%, 0.6%, 0.8%, 1% and 2% w/v) were used for the experiment and samples were analyzed using ImageJ software. From the correlation, the effectiveness of the stabilizing interactions at the molecular level was deduced. Results of the experiment revealed a positive correlation in a linear relationship between the diameter of the droplets and the inverse of the concentration of zein.