Preparation of Nanoemulsions Containing Curcumin by High Pressure Homogenization

Curcumin is a natural polyphenolic compound with a variety of beneficial activities. However, its application as a functional ingredient is currently limited because of its poor aqueous solubility and bioavailability. In this study, oilin- water nanoemulsions containing curcumin were prepared by microfluidization to improve solubility and bioavailability of curcumin. The effects of emulsifier type and concentrations, the homogenizing pressure (40-140 MPa) and number of cycles on particle size parameters and stability of nanoemulsions were investigated. The results showed that particle size of the nanoemulsion was considerably decreased from 126 nm to 55 nm with increasing homogenization pressure, number of cycles and emulsifier concentration. The optimum conditions for nanoemulsion preparation were determined to be homogenization pressure of 120 MPa and 3 cycles. The storage study showed that the curcumin nanoemulsions were physically stable for about 8 weeks at room temperature.