Use of acyl phosphonates for the synthesis of inulin esters and their use as emulsion stabilizing agents.

Inulin, the polydisperse polyfructose, extracted from chicory, was modified via esterification with acyl phosphonates. The grafting of an acyl chain onto the inulin backbone under different conditions led to a highly efficient synthesis of a series of inulin esters, with interesting tensioactive properties. The derivatives were evaluated in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions with isoparaffinic oil, Isopar M. Therefore, a 2% (w/v) aqueous solution of inulin-based surfactant was used in 50/50 O/W emulsions, in nonelectrolyte, and in electrolyte media, using 1 M MgSO4. Longer acyl chains, e.g., dodecanoyl (C12), hexadecanoyl (C16), and octadecanoyl (C18), with degrees of substitution lower than 0.5, gave rise to the highest emulsion stabilities against coalescence.