Emulsification capacity of chitosan

Emulsification of sunflower oil by chitosan solutions with deacetylation degrees (DD) between 75 and 95% was studied. Chitosan solutions that allowed a wide range of viscosity were prepared in 0.2, 1.0, 2.0% concentration in 0.1 M HCl. The droplet size distribution, emulsion viscosity, emulsion stability and ageing behavior during 48 h were analyzed as function of the chitosan DD, solution concentration and viscosity. Chitosan produced stable water/oil/water (w/o/w) emulsions. The droplet size distribution was unimodal at low DD and at high DD, for all used concentrations, at intermediate DD, distribution was unimodal only when we used the most concentrated solutions. Meanwhile, droplet size distribution was independent of both chitosan solution viscosity and emulsion viscosity. Emulsion viscosity, emulsion stability and ageing were proportional to chitosan concentration.