SOLUBILIZATION KINETICS OF TRIACYL GLYCEROL AND HYDROCARBON EMULSION DROPLETS IN A MICELLAR SOLUTION

Solubilization of oil molecules in surfactant micelles can have pronou nced effects on the physicochemical properties of oil-in-water emulsio ns, e.g., reaction rates, distribution of nonpolar ingredients, emulsi on stability and controlled flavor release. Static light-scattering wa s used to compare the solubilization kinetics of corn oil droplets wit h those of n-hexadecane droplets (phi = 0.02 wt%, d(32) = 0.3 mu m) in a micellar surfactant solution (2 wt% Tween 20). The n-hexadecane dro plets were completely solubilized by the micelles within 5 days, but n o change was observed in the corn oil emulsion. Possible reasons for t he observed differences in solubilization kinetics were related to the molecular geometry and size of the oil molecules.