The Influence of L-α-phosphatidylcholine’s amount on the stability of nutmeg oil emulsion

Abstract

Introduction. Essential oil is an oily liquid with a specific odor – a lipophilic liquid. It can be heavier than water but more often it is lighter. Essential oil floats on the surface of water [3]. Essential oil is prepared from herbs, leaves, fruits, seeds, and it has a wide range of effects: anti-inflammatory, bacteriocidic, pain reduction, mood boosting, and many others [4]. Nutmeg essential oil from Myristica fragrans is colorless and has a specific odor, it has antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory pharmacological effects [2]. An emulsion consists of two phases which do not mix together by themselves. So, to prepare an emulsion with essential or another oil, an emulsifier has to be added (surface active agent) which then connects these phases (oil and water) [1]. L-α-phosphatidylcholine is an emulsifier from soybean, which is widely used as an emulsifier in oil-in-water emulsions. It has a synonym which is better known and more frequently used – lecithin [5]. An emulsion with nutmeg essential oil could have a specific use, such as emulsion for microcapsules, dermatological products or other. Materials and methods. L-α-Phosphatidylcholine (from 0.05 g to 2.0 g) was used as the main emulsifier to stabilize the emulsion with nutmeg essential oil. A solution of 4% sodium alginate (5.0 g) was used as a viscosity increasing agent and co-emulsifier for emulsions with nutmeg essential oil (1.0 g), distilled water (10 ml) was also used. Lecithin was dissolved in distilled water and the sodium alginate solution was added. Solution was stirred in a magnetic stirrer and then nutmeg essential oil was added. Five different compositions of emulsions were prepared by using a homogenizer and a centrifugation index (3000 and 10000 times of revolution per minute (RPM)) which was calculated by using formula 1. Emulsion’s morphology was examined under a light microscope with Nikon H550S, with incorporated moni[...].