Effect of emulsifier HLB and stabilizer addition on the physical stability of thyme essential oil emulsions

The objective of this work was to formulate and to further improve the stability of emulsions based on thyme essential oil. Several nonionic surfactants of different nature and with different hydrophilic−lipophilic balance (HLB) values were investigated. The surfactant with optimal HLB found for the thyme essential oil was Appyclean 6548 (HLB: 9-9.5). Afterwards, stabilizing biopolymers were added in order to improve emulsion stability. Properties of emulsions were evaluated in terms of droplet size and physical stability. Thyme essential oil/W emulsions formulated with a new biodegradable emulsifier (alkyl polypentoside) and welan gum as stabilizer were obtained with high shelf-life.