Microemulsion Systems for Bioactive Delivery in Food Applications
Summary
Microemulsion systems are clear, thermodynamically stable dispersions of oil and water, stabilised by surfactants and often co-surfactants, forming nanometre-scale droplets. Their unique properties—ultra-low interfacial tension, high solubilisation capacity and adjustable droplet size—render them ideal carriers for bioactive ingredients such as vitamins, antioxidants and flavours. In food applications, microemulsions enhance the water dispersibility of lipophilic nutraceuticals, improve chemical stability against oxidation or pH fluctuations and enable controlled release in the gastrointestinal tract. Formulation relies on a careful balance of hydrophilic-lipophilic interactions, often guided by pseudo-ternary phase diagrams to identify Winsor regimes that favour single-phase systems. Advances in food-grade surfactants, natural oils and biocompatible co-surfactants have expanded the palette of permissible ingredients, facilitating clean-label claims. Key challenges include maintaining long-term physical stability under thermal and mechanical stress, ensuring biocompatibility of all components, and optimising release kinetics for targeted delivery. Emerging approaches combine microfluidic templating and responsive surfactants to tailor droplet morphology and permeability. Taken together, these developments underscore the global significance of microemulsions for fortifying beverages, dairy products and functional foods with sensitive bioactives, while delivering consistent quality and efficacy.
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Microemulsion Systems for Bioactive Delivery in Food Applications publication trend
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Technical terms
Microemulsion: Thermodynamically stable, optically transparent mixture of oil, water and surfactants forming nanometre-scale droplets.
Surfactant: Amphiphilic molecule that reduces interfacial tension between oil and water phases, stabilising colloidal droplets.
Bicontinuous structure: Morphology in which intertwined continuous oil and water channels exist within a single-phase microemulsion.
Hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB): Numerical scale reflecting a surfactant’s relative affinity for aqueous versus oily environments.
References
- The use of confocal Raman microscopy and microfluidic channels to monitor the location and mobility of β-carotene incorporated in droplet-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions. Current Research in Food Science (2023).
- Solubilization of Tea Seed Oil in a Food-Grade Water-Dilutable Microemulsion. PLOS ONE (2015).
- DPD Simulation on the Transformation and Stability of O/W and W/O Microemulsions. Molecules (2022).
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