Production and characterization of O/W emulsions containing droplets stabilized by lecithin-chitosan-pectin mutilayered membranes.

The possibility of producing stable oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing oil droplets surrounded by multiple layer interfacial membranes from food grade ingredients has been demonstrated. These emulsions were produced using a three stage process that relies on the adsorption of charged biopolymers to oppositely charged surfaces. Emulsions (0.5 wt % corn oil, 0.1 wt % lecithin, 0.0078 wt % chitosan, 0.02 wt % pectin, and 100 mM acetic acid, pH 3.0) containing oil droplets stabilized by lecithin-chitosan-pectin membranes were formed using this interfacial layer-by-layer deposition process. The droplets in these emulsions had good stability to aggregation over a wide range of pH values and salt concentrations (pH 4-8 at 0 mM NaCl and pH 3-8 at 100 mM NaCl). This technology could be extremely useful to the food industry for the creation of O/W emulsions with improved properties or novel applications, e.g., improved stability to environmental stresses, protection of labile substances, controlled release, and triggered release.