Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Food grade nanoemulsions: promising delivery systems for functional ingredients

  • Review Article
  • Published:
Journal of Food Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Nano-emulsions are receiving great attention in various industries, especially in the food sector. Peculiar properties of nano-sized droplets and high surface area are most suited for the development and delivery of functional ingredients. Nano-emulsions systems are suitable for encapsulation, protection, improving bioavailability, and target release of sensitive functional compounds. Nano-emulsions have promising potential for the delivery of nutraceuticals, probiotics, flavors, and colors. Nano-emulsions with active ingredients (antimicrobials) have a key part in ensuring food safety, nutrition, and quality of food. Nanoemulsions can also be used for biodegradable coating, packaging, antimicrobial coating, and quality and shelf life enhancement of different foods. The current review includes an overview of nanotechnology nano-emulsions, materials, techniques for formulation & production of nano-emulsions for food and nutrition. Furthermore, the analytical approaches used for the characterization of nano-emulsions and finally, the applications and limitations of nano-emulsions in the food industry are discussed in detail.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Source: Zambrano-Zaragoza et al. (2018)

Fig. 2

Source: Aswathanarayan and Vittal (2019)

Fig. 3

Source: Jintapattanakit (2018)

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Even though adequate data has been given in the form of tables and figures, however, all authors declare that if more data required then the data will be provided on request basis.

References

  • Acevedo-Fani A, Salvia-Trujillo L, Rojas-Graü MA, Martín-Belloso O (2015) Edible films from essential-oil-loaded nanoemulsions: physicochemical characterization and antimicrobial properties. Food Hydrocoll 47:168–177

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed J, Ramalingam K (2022) The essential properties of nanoemulsions: Basics of nanoemulsion. Handbook of research on nanoemulsion applications in agriculture, food, health, and biomedical sciences. IGI Global, USA, pp 1–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexandre EMC, Lourenço RV, Bittante AMQB, Moraes ICF, do Amaral Sobral PJ (2016a) Gelatin-based films reinforced with montmorillonite and activated with nanoemulsion of ginger essential oil for food packaging applications. Food Packag Shelf Life 10:87–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alexandre EMC, Lourenço RV, Bittante AMQB, Moraes ICF, Sobral PJA (2016b) Gelatine based films reinforced with montmorillonite and activated with nanoemulsion of ginger essential oil for food packaging applications. Food Pack Shelf Life 10:87–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2016.10.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alshahrani SM (2022) A judicious review on the applications of chemotherapeutic loaded nanoemulsions in cancer management. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol 103085

  • Amaral DMF, Bhargava K (2015) Essential oil nanoemulsions and food applications. Adv Food Technol Nutr Sci Open J 1(4):84–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anton N, Vandamme TF (2009) The universality of low-energy nano-emulsification. Int J Pharm 377(1–2):142–147

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Araújo FA, Kelmann RG, Araújo BV, Finatto RB, Teixeira HF, Koester LS (2011) Development and characterization of parenteral nanoemulsions containing thalidomide. Eur J Pharm Sci 42(3):238–245

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Artiga-Artigas M, Acevedo-Fani A, Martín-Belloso O (2017) Effect of sodium alginate incorporation procedure on the physicochemical properties of nanoemulsions. Food Hydrocoll 70:191–200

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aswathanarayan JB, Vittal RR (2019) Nanoemulsions and their potential applications in food industry. Front Sustain Food Syst 3:95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bai L, Huan S, Gu J, McClements DJ (2016) Fabrication of oil-in-water nanoemulsions by dual-channel microfluidization using natural emulsifiers: Saponins, phospholipids, proteins, and polysaccharides. Food Hydrocoll 61:703–711

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Casadei MA, Cerreto F, Cesa S, Giannuzzo M, Feeney M, Marianecci C, Paolicelli P (2006) Solid lipid nanoparticles incorporated in dextran hydrogels: a new drug delivery system for oral formulations. Int J Pharm 325(1–2):140–146

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dammak I, de Carvalho RA, Trindade CSF, Lourenço RV, do Amaral Sobral PJ (2017) Properties of active gelatin films incorporated with rutin-loaded nanoemulsions. Int J Biol Macromol 98:39–49

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ee SL, Duan X, Liew J, Nguyen QD (2008) Droplet size and stability of nano-emulsions produced by the temperature phase inversion method. Chem Eng J 140(1–3):626–631

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Galus S, Kadzińska J (2015) Food applications of emulsion-based edible films and coatings. Trends Food Sci Technol 45(2):273–283

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ganesan P, Karthivashan G, Park SY, Kim J, Choi DK (2018) Microfluidization trends in the development of nanodelivery systems and applications in chronic disease treatments. Int J Nanomed 13:6109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garti N, Aserin A (2018) Double emulsions stabilized by macromolecular surfactants. In: Micelles, microemulsions, and monolayers. Routledge, pp 333–362

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh V, Mukherjee A, Chandrasekaran N (2013) Ultrasonic emulsification of food-grade nanoemulsion formulation and evaluation of its bactericidal activity. Ultrason Sonochem 20:338–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2012.08.010

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grigoriev DO, Miller R (2009) Mono-and multilayer covered drops as carriers. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 14(1):48–59

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta A, Eral HB, Hatton TA, Doyle PS (2016) Nanoemulsions: formation, properties and applications. Soft Matter 12(11):2826–2841

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guttoff M, Saberi AH, McClements DJ (2015) Formation of vitamin D nanoemulsion-based delivery systems by spontaneous emulsification: factors affecting particle size and stability. Food Chem 171:117–122

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Håkansson A (2019) Can high-pressure homogenization cause thermal degradation to nutrients? J Food Eng 240:133–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hebishy E, Buffa M, Guamis B, Blasco-Moreno A, Trujillo AJ (2015) Physical and oxidative stability of whey protein oil-in-water emulsions produced by conventional and ultra-high-pressure homogenization: Effects of pressure and protein concentration on emulsion characteristics. Innov Food Sci Emerg Technol 32:79–90

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Izquierdo P, Esquena J, Tadros TF, Dederen C, Garcia MJ, Azemar N, Solans C (2002) Formation and stability of nano-emulsions prepared using the phase inversion temperature method. Langmuir 18(1):26–30

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jintapattanakit A (2018) Preparation of nanoemulsions by phase inversion temperature (PIT) method. Pharm Sci Asia 45(1):1–12

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kale SN, Deore SL (2017) Emulsion micro emulsion and nano emulsion: a review. Syst Rev Pharm 8(1):39

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kentish S, Wooster TJ, Ashokkumar M, Balachandran S, Mawson R, Simons L (2008) The use of ultrasonics for nanoemulsion preparation. Innov Food Sci Emerg Technol 9(2):170–175

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar DL, Sarkar P (2018) Encapsulation of bioactive compounds using nanoemulsions. Environ Chem Lett 16(1):59–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar R, Kaur K, Uppal S, Mehta SK (2017) Ultrasound processed nanoemulsion: a comparative approach between resveratrol and resveratrol cyclodextrin inclusion complex to study its binding interactions, antioxidant activity and UV light stability. Ultrason Sonochem 37:478–489

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee SJ, McClements DJ (2010) Fabrication of protein-stabilized nanoemulsions using a combined homogenization and amphiphilic solvent dissolution/evaporation approach. Food Hydrocoll 24(6–7):560–569

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liew JCL, Nguyen QD, Ngothai Y (2010) Effect of sodium chloride on the formation and stability of n-dodecane nanoemulsions by the PIT method. Asia-Pac J Chem Eng 5(4):570–576

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Bi J, Liu X, Zhang B, Wu X, Wellala CKD et al (2019) Effects of high pressure homogenization and addition of oil on the carotenoid bioaccessibility of carrot juice. Food Funct 10:458–468. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8FO01925H

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Luykx DM, Peters RJ, van Ruth SM, Bouwmeester H (2008) A review of analytical methods for the identification and characterization of nano delivery systems in food. J Agric Food Chem 56(18):8231–8247

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ma Q, Davidson PM, Zhong Q (2016) Antimicrobial properties of microemulsions formulated with essential oils, soybean oil, and Tween 80. Int J Food Microbiol 226:20–25

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maali A, Mosavian MH (2013) Preparation and application of nanoemulsions in the last decade (2000–2010). J Dispersion Sci Technol 34(1):92–105

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McClements DJ (2011) Edible nanoemulsions: fabrication, properties, and functional performance. Soft Matter 7(6):2297–2316

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McClements DJ, Decker EA, Park Y, Weiss J (2009) Structural design principles for delivery of bioactive components in nutraceuticals and functional foods. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 49(6):577–606

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morales D, Gutiérrez JM, García-Celma MJ, Solans YC (2003) A study of the relation between bicontinuous microemulsions and oil/water nano-emulsion formation. Langmuir 19(18):7196–7200

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mulik RS, Mönkkönen J, Juvonen RO, Mahadik KR, Paradkar AR (2010) Transferrin mediated solid lipid nanoparticles containing curcumin: enhanced in vitro anticancer activity by induction of apoptosis. Int J Pharm 398(1–2):190–203

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nakabayashi K, Amemiya F, Fuchigami T, Machida K, Takeda S, Tamamitsu K, Atobe M (2011) Highly clear and transparent nanoemulsion preparation under surfactant-free conditions using tandem acoustic emulsification. Chem Commun 47(20):5765–5767

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Naseema A, Kovooru L, Behera AK, Kumar KP, Srivastava P (2020) A critical review of synthesis procedures, applications and future potential of nanoemulsions. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 102318

  • Nguyen TTL, Anton N, Vandamme TF (2016) Nutraceutical compounds encapsulated by extrusion–spheronization. New Polym Encapsul Nutraceutical Compd 195–230

  • Pan X, Yao P, Jiang M (2007) Simultaneous nanoparticle formation and encapsulation driven by hydrophobic interaction of casein-graft-dextran and β-carotene. J Colloid Interface Sci 315(2):456–463

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Preetz C, Hauser A, Hause G, Kramer A, Mäder K (2010) Application of atomic force microscopy and ultrasonic resonator technology on nanoscale: distinction of nanoemulsions from nanocapsules. Eur J Pharm Sci 39(1–3):141–151

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Qian C, McClements DJ (2011) Formation of nanoemulsions stabilized by model food-grade emulsifiers using high-pressure homogenization: factors affecting particle size. Food Hydrocoll 25(5):1000–1008

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qian C, Decker EA, Xiao H, McClements DJ (2012) Physical and chemical stability of β-carotene-enriched nanoemulsions: Influence of pH, ionic strength, temperature, and emulsifier type. Food Chem 132(3):1221–1229

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Quintanilla-Carvajal MX, Camacho-Díaz BH, Meraz-Torres LS, Chanona-Pérez JJ, Alamilla-Beltrán L, Jimenéz-Aparicio A, Gutiérrez-López GF (2010) Nanoencapsulation: a new trend in food engineering processing. Food Eng Rev 2(1):39–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Relkin P, Yung JM, Kalnin D, Ollivon M (2008) Structural behaviour of lipid droplets in protein-stabilized nano-emulsions and stability of α-tocopherol. Food Biophys 3(2):163–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ru Q, Yu H, Huang Q (2010) Encapsulation of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) using oil-in-water (O/W) submicrometer emulsions stabilized by ι-carrageenan and β-lactoglobulin. J Agric Food Chem 58(19):10373–10381

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz-Montañez G, Ragazzo-Sanchez JA, Picart-Palmade L, Calderón-Santoyo M, Chevalier-Lucia D (2017) Optimization of nanoemulsions processed by high-pressure homogenization to protect a bioactive extract of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam). Innov Food Sci Emerg Technol 40:35–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saifullah M, Ahsan A, Shishir MRI (2016) Production, stability and application of micro-and nanoemulsion in food production and the food processing industry. Emulsion. Academic Press, USA, pp 405–442

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Salem MA, Ezzat SM (2019) Nanoemulsions in food industry. Some New Aspects Colloid Syst Foods 2(12):238–267

    Google Scholar 

  • Santana RC, Perrechil FA, Cunha RL (2013) High-and low-energy emulsifications for food applications: a focus on process parameters. Food Eng Rev 5(2):107–122

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sarheed O, Shouqair D, Ramesh KVRNS, Khaleel T, Amin M, Boateng J, Drechsler M (2020) Formation of stable nanoemulsions by ultrasound-assisted two-step emulsification process for topical drug delivery: effect of oil phase composition and surfactant concentration and loratadine as ripening inhibitor. Int J Pharm 576:118952

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schuch A, Wrenger J, Schuchmann HP (2014) Production of W/O/W double emulsions. Part II: influence of emulsification device on release of water by coalescence. Colloids Surf, A 461:344–351

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Serdaroğlu M, Öztürk B, Kara A (2015) An overview of food emulsions: description, classification and recent potential applications. Turk J Agric-Food Sci Technol 3(6):430–438

    Google Scholar 

  • Shakeel F, Baboota S, Ahuja A, Ali J, Shafiq S (2009) Celecoxib nanoemulsion for transdermal drug delivery: characterization and in vitro evaluation. J Dispers Sci Technol 30(6):834–842

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shariffa YN, Tan TB, Uthumporn U, Abas F, Mirhosseini H, Nehdi IA et al (2017) Producing a lycopene nanodispersion: formulation development and the effects of high pressure homogenization. Food Res Int 101:165–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2017.09.005

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silva HD, Cerqueira MA, Souza BW, Ribeiro C, Avides MC, Quintas MA, Coimbra JS, Carneiro-da-Cunha MG, Vicente AA (2011) Nanoemulsions of β-carotene using a high-energy emulsification–evaporation technique. J Food Eng 102(2):130–135

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Silva HD, Cerqueira MÂ, Vicente AA (2012) Nanoemulsions for food applications: development and characterization. Food Bioprocess Technol 5(3):854–867

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Subasi A, Alickovic E, Kevric J (2017) Diagnosis of chronic kidney disease by using random forest. CMBEBIH 2017. Springer, Singapore, pp 589–594

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tadros TF, Vandamme A, Levecke B, Booten K, Stevens CV (2004) Stabilization of emulsions using polymeric surfactants based on inulin. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 108:207–226

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tan TB, Yussof NS, Abas F, Mirhosseini H, Nehdi IA, Tan CP (2016) Comparing the formation of lutein nanodispersion prepared by using solvent displacement method and high-pressure valve homogenization: Effects of formulation parameters. J Food Eng 177:65–71

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thakur RK, Villette C, Aubry JM, Delaplace G (2008) Dynamic emulsification and catastrophic phase inversion of lecithin-based emulsions. Colloids Surf A 315(1–3):285–293

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tripathi AD, Sharma R, Agarwal A, Haleem DR (2021) Nanoemulsions based edible coatings with potential food applications. Int J Biobased Plast 3(1):112–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Venturini CG, Jäger E, Oliveira CP, Bernardi A, Battastini AM, Guterres SS, Pohlmann AR (2011) Formulation of lipid core nanocapsules. Colloids Surf A 375(1–3):200–208

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walker RM, Decker EA, McClements DJ (2015) Physical and oxidative stability of fish oil nanoemulsions produced by spontaneous emulsification: effect of surfactant concentration and particle size. J Food Eng 164:10–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2015.04.028

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson RJ, Li Y, Yang G, Zhao CX (2021) Nanoemulsions for drug delivery. Particuology

  • Wulff-Pérez M, Torcello-Gómez A, Gálvez-Ruíz MJ, Martín-Rodríguez A (2009) Stability of emulsions for parenteral feeding: preparation and characterization of o/w nanoemulsions with natural oils and Pluronic f68 as surfactant. Food Hydrocoll 23(4):1096–1102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin LJ, Chu BS, Kobayashi I, Nakajima M (2009) Performance of selected emulsifiers and their combinations in the preparation of β-carotene nanodispersions. Food Hydrocoll 23(6):1617–1622

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zambrano-Zaragoza ML, González-Reza R, Mendoza-Muñoz N, Miranda-Linares V, Bernal-Couoh TF, Mendoza-Elvira S, Quintanar-Guerrero D (2018) Nanosystems in edible coatings: a novel strategy for food preservation. Int J Mol Sci 19(3):705

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng L, Liu Y, Pan J, Liu X (2019) Formulation and evaluation of norcanthridin nanoemulsions against the Plutella xylostella (Lepidotera: Plutellidae). BMC Biotechnol 19(1):1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful Government College University for providing literature collection facilities

Funding

The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Sciences, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Fakhar Islam, Farhan Saeed, Muhammad Afzaal, Muzzamal Hussain, Ali Ikram & Muhammad Armghan Khalid

Authors
  1. Fakhar Islam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Farhan Saeed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Muhammad Afzaal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Muzzamal Hussain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ali Ikram
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Muhammad Armghan Khalid
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

FI, FS, MA, proposed this idea and drafted initial manuscript. MH, AI, MAK helped in preparing figures and tables and oveall qulity of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Muhammad Afzaal.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Consent to participate

Corresponding and all the co-authors are willing to participate in this manuscript.

Consent for publication

All authors are willing for publication of this manuscript.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 19 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Islam, F., Saeed, F., Afzaal, M. et al. Food grade nanoemulsions: promising delivery systems for functional ingredients. J Food Sci Technol 60, 1461–1471 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-022-05387-3

Download citation

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-022-05387-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation