1. Aakash Patel, Dr. Supratim Ghosh IC-IMPACTS Summer Institute 2016
Formation, Stability and Rheology of food protein-stabilized nanogels from nanoemulsions
Aakash Patel, Dr. Supratim Ghosh
Department of Food and Bioproduct sciences
University of Saskatchewan
IC-IMPACTS Summer Institute 2016

2. Emulsions and Nanoemulsions
Oil
Water
Unique characteristics of nanoemulsions:
Stability (Objective)
Rheology (Objective)
Opacity
Bioavailability
Emulsion
Mixture of two immiscible liquids
Conventional Emulsion droplet size: 1-10 µm
Nanoemulsions droplet size: <200 nm
Experimental details:
Whey protein or casein as emulsifier
40% canola oil
20,000 psi for 8 cycles to reduce the droplet size to nanoscale
Laser diffraction particle size analyzer for droplet size
Rheology to measure viscosity and viscoelasticity by Rheometer
Oil phase
Aqueous phase
Amphiphilic substances (emulsifiers)

3. Results and mechanism
Shell layer thickness
Increase influence of shell layer (emulsifier layer over droplet + electrostatic charge)
Increase in effective volume fraction (increase in surface area – increase in protein)
Jam packing of droplet leads to gelation

4. Future studies and Applications
Further reduction in droplet size by evaporative ripening
Conversion of weak gels in to strong gels by changing pH, ionic strength or temperature to alter protein structure
Study of interfacial rheology of protein layer to understand effect on gel formation
Application:
Preparation of emulsion based food products with longer stability
Reduction in dispersed oil phase volume and still obtain same consistency (low fat foods)
Suitable for use in pharmaceutical industry as gels for delivery of substances due to easy absorption of nanodroplets

5. Thank you