Preparation and optimization of Pickering emulsion stabilized by chitosan-tripolyphosphate nanoparticles for curcumin encapsulation

Abstract In recent decades the preparation of Pickering emulsion has attracted much attention due to a wide range of its useful applicability in cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical industries. The objective of the current study was to optimize the preparation of Chitosan-tripolyphosphate (CS-TPP) nanoparticles stabilized Pickering emulsion as a delivery system for curcumin. The CS-TPP nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by the ionic gelation techniques between CS and TPP. The effect of preparation conditions, storage time, pH and salt on the stability of Pickering emulsion was evaluated. Then curcumin was encapsulated and its stability and release kinetics were evaluated based on spectrophotometric measurements to quantify the amount of encapsulated curcumin in the Pickering emulsion as a function of time. Overall, these results showed that after optimization, Pickering emulsions could be fabricated with uniform particle size distribution, long-term stability, high stability against pH, salts and can be an effective route for delivery of bioactive compounds.