Emulsion Stability and Delivery Systems for Nutraceuticals
Summary
Emulsion-based delivery systems have emerged as a cornerstone for the formulation of hydrophobic nutraceuticals, offering routes to protect sensitive bioactives, improve their solubility and control their release. Stability of such systems is governed by interfacial composition, droplet size distribution, surface charge and rheological properties. Simple oil-in-water nanoemulsions can enhance bioavailability by reducing droplet diameter, whereas multilayer and bilayer architectures employ sequential deposition of proteins and polysaccharides to reinforce oxidative, thermal and pH resilience. Pickering emulsions, stabilised by solid particles, afford physical robustness and controlled release, while co-encapsulation strategies integrate antioxidants or metal-chelating agents to retard degradation. Advances in processing—such as high-pressure homogenisation, ultrasonication and electrostatic complexation—permit fine-tuning of interfacial films and network structures. Collectively, these approaches underpin the design of functional foods, beverages and nutraceutical supplements that address global challenges in micronutrient deficiency, chronic disease prevention and personalised nutrition.
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Emulsion Stability and Delivery Systems for Nutraceuticals publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in emulsion stability and delivery systems for nutraceuticals across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Emulsion: A dispersion of one immiscible liquid phase within another, stabilised by surface-active agents or particulate matter.
Bilayer emulsion: An emulsion in which droplet surfaces are sequentially coated with two distinct layers of emulsifiers (typically protein then polysaccharide) to enhance interfacial robustness.
Nanoemulsion: An emulsion with droplet sizes in the nanometre range (20–200 nm), offering increased physical stability and accelerated bioactive absorption.
Bioaccessibility: The fraction of a nutraceutical released from its encapsulation matrix in the gastrointestinal tract and made available for absorption.
Pickering emulsion: An emulsion stabilised by solid colloidal particles rather than traditional molecular emulsifiers, often yielding enhanced resistance to coalescence.
References
- Enhancing the Stability and Bioaccessibility of Tree Peony Seed Oil Using Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembling Bilayer Emulsions. Antioxidants (2023).
- In Vitro Digestion and Storage Stability of β-Carotene-Loaded Nanoemulsion Stabilized by Soy Protein Isolate (SPI)-Citrus Pectin (CP) Complex/Conjugate Prepared with Ultrasound. Foods (2022).
- Influence of Carboxymethyl Cellulose on the Stability, Rheological Property, and in-vitro Digestion of Soy Protein Isolate (SPI)-Stabilized Rice Bran Oil Emulsion. Frontiers in Nutrition (2022).
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