Oleoresin capsicum, the oil extract of chili pepper, is mainly composed of capsaicin. Capsaicin is a hydrophobic volatile compound exhibiting antimicrobial activity against various microorganisms. Capsaicin in the form of an emulsion-based carrier system could be a good alternative to enhance bioavailability and simultaneously to increase the shelf-life of food. In this study, capsaicin emulsions were formulated using three different surfactants (Tween 80, commercial soy lecithin, and sucrose monopalmitate/SMP). Effects of aqueous phase composition, pH, and heating the pre-homogenized dispersion were investigated. For characterization, NMR relaxometry, color, turbidity, and antioxidant activity experiments were conducted. Antimicrobial efficacies of the emulsions were also evaluated against Escherichia coli andStaphylococcus aureus. Mean particle sizes of emulsions with surfactants Tween 80, lecithin, and SMP were found to be 68.30, 582.63, and 50.10 nm, respectively. Lecithin-containing emulsions showed the highest antimicrobial activity against S. aureus with 4.60 log reduction, whereas the same effect was observed in Tween 80-containing emulsions against E. coli with 3.86 log reduction. Emulsions prepared with SMP showed the highest antioxidant activity with 0.482 mg DPPH/L emulsion. The formulated emulsions have the potential to be used in food industry as antimicrobial food grade solutions.
Oleoresin capsicum (OC) is an extract of chili pepper containing the active agent capsaicin. In this study, OC-loaded nanoemulsions were prepared by microfluidization and stabilized with sucrose monopalmitate (SMP) and lecithin. The difference in size and distribution of droplets determined the nanoemulsion behavior mainly due to the interaction of emulsifiers between oil and aqueous phase. The hydrophilic interaction between SMP and aqueous phase and the hydrophobic interaction between lecithin and oil phase were monitored with NMR relaxometry. OC nanoemulsion fabricated with SMP showed the best transparency with smallest droplet size (around 34 nm) and stable with glycerol after 28 days at ambient storage. Lecithin containing nanoemulsions showed improved bioactivity as showing antioxidant (0.82 mg DPPH/L) and antimicrobial (3.40 log for Escherichia coli and 4.37 log for Staphylococcus aureus) activity. Finally, results have important implications to determine the appropriate formulation conditions for OC with food-grade surfactants to be used in pharmaceuticals and food industry.
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