Production of turmeric extract-loaded nanoemulsions at the laboratory-scale and pilot-scale: Comparison of processing conditions and properties

Abstract The goal of this study was to scale-up the production of turmeric extract-loaded nanoemulsions (TE-NEs) processed by ultrasonication, and compare the characteristics of the laboratory-scale and pilot-scale TE-NEs. The formulation was first optimized by varying the oil: surfactant ratio, water content, and hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of the TE-NEs. The optimal conditions were an oil: surfactant ratio of 1:1, 85% water content, and HLB value of 10.6, with the resulting TE-NEs exhibiting a homogeneous spherical morphology, mean droplet size of 66.6 nm and zeta potential of −36.93 mV. To scale-up the production of the TE-NEs, an equipment combining a mixing unit and ultrasonication unit with capacity up to 15 L was used. Scale-up was successful, also resulting in stable TE-NEs with no visible separation and homogeneous spherical droplets, although the mean droplet size of the pilot-scale TE-NEs was larger (178.8 nm).