Carotenoid nanoemulsions stabilized by natural emulsifiers: Whey protein, gum Arabic, and soy lecithin

Abstract In this study, oil-in-water nanoemulsions of paprika oleoresin stabilized with soy lecithin, whey protein concentrate and gum Arabic were prepared by high-pressure homogenization. Oil-in-water nanoemulsions were characterized through interfacial tension, mean particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), and the physical and chemical stability during storage. Kinetic data for degradation of total carotenoids were used for estimating entropy and enthalpy of activation using transition state theory. Whey protein concentrate and soy lecithin were more effective to forming droplets at the nanometric range (d