Linking processing to formulation in dynamic membranes of tunable pore size for lemon oil emulsions

Lemon oil is widely used for food flavoring purposes, but due to its low water solubility and tendency to oxidation, requires encapsulation in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. Therefore, this study assesses the use of two natural biopolymers and a tailor-made one to encapsulate lemon oil with a dynamic membrane of tunable pore size (DMTS). This emulsification system, consisting of an outer bed layer of silica beads sitting upon a metal microporous metallic membrane, overcomes the limitations of conventional emulsification membranes, such as low throughput, complex cleaning before reuse, fixed membrane thickness and pore size, and significative protein fouling. The effects of the DMTS characteristics on the droplet size distribution and emulsion productivity were studied. The results demonstrate that mono-dispersed emulsions can be obtained using dynamic membranes for all the biopolymers studied and the productivity can reach 1000 m3 m � 2h 1 pointing out the suitability of this system for scale-up.

Automated summary

This study evaluates the use of natural biopolymers and a tailor-made one to encapsulate lemon oil with a dynamic membrane of tunable pore size. The results demonstrate that mono-dispersed emulsions can be obtained using dynamic membranes for all the biopolymers studied, with a productivity of 1000 m3 m � 2h 1, indicating the suitability of this system for scale-up.