Comparison of natural and synthetic surfactants at forming and stabilizing nanoemulsions: Tea saponin, Quillaja saponin, and Tween 80

Abstract

Hypothesis: This study compared the interfacial and emulsification properties of tea saponins, quillaja saponins, and Tween 80. We hypothesized that tea saponins are an effective and sustainable source of plant-based emulsifiers that could replace synthetic or animal-based emulsifiers in many commercial applications.

Experiments: Interfacial tension measurements were used to characterize the behavior of the three surfactants at an oil-water interface. The emulsifying properties of the surfactants were determined by preparing oil-in-water emulsions containing 10 wt% medium chain triglycerides (MCT) and varying surfactant levels (0.1-2 wt%) using high-pressure homogenization (pH 7). The impact of surfactant type on emulsion formation and stability was determined by measuring particle size, zeta-potential, microstructure, and creaming stability.

Findings: The tea saponins were capable of producing nano-scale droplets (d₃₂ < 200 nm) at low surfactant-to-oil ratios (SOR < 0.1). Emulsions containing tea saponins remained stable to droplet aggregation when exposed to various temperatures (30-90 °C), salt levels (0-200 mM NaCl), and pH values (3-9). However, droplet flocculation and/or coalescence occurred under highly acidic (pH 2) and high ionic strength (300-500 mM NaCl) conditions. Tea saponin-coated oil droplets appeared to be mainly stabilized by a combination of electrostatic and steric repulsion. The tea saponins behaved similarly or better than the other two emulsifiers under most conditions. These results suggest that tea saponins are effective plant-based surfactants that may have applications in commercial products.

Keywords: Biosurfactant; Nanoemulsion; Quillaja saponin; Tea saponin; Tween 80.