ABSTRACT:
Plant oil formulations have been effective for the production of encapsulating systems that could be used for the oral delivery of various bioactives to achieve nutritive and therapeutic effects. These kinetically stable formulations prevent the degradation of such actives and also enhance their bioavailability. In this context, synthesis of a flaxseed oil-alkyl polyglucoside based formulation was carried out and its ultrasonication under a set of optimized conditions was employed to reduce the particle size of this emulsion. The ultrasonication conditions were optimized with respect to duty cycle, time, cavitation intensity and amplitude. Physiochemical characterization and FAME analysis of the oil were carried out. The final formulation was characterized for particle size, zeta potential and electrophoretic mobility. FTIR spectra identified different functional groups in the base constituents and also the presence of extensive hydrogen bonding in the formulation. Its SEM analysis showed well dispersed oil globules in water. The rheological studies of the formulations with respect to relevant parameters like hysteresis loop areas, yield stress, consistency and pseudoplasticity indices revealed non-Newtonian thixotropic behavior and shear thinning feature that contribute to good flow characteristics. Thus, it is inferred that this formulation could serve as an excellent base matrix for potential food applications.