Zein nanoparticles produced by liquid–liquid dispersion

Variables during production of zein nanoparticles using a liquid–liquid dispersion process were researched in this work for the potential development of food-grade nanoscalar delivery systems. The process was based on dissolving zein in 55–90% aqueous ethanol, followed by shearing the stock solutions into deionized water. The size of zein nanoparticles was typically 100–200 nm, and smaller particles were formed at a higher shear rate, and a higher ethanol concentration or a lower zein concentration in stock solutions. The addition of 1% zein nanoparticles into 0.5% carboxymethylcellulose solutions (adjusted to pH 3–9) increased the viscosities of the polymer solutions, and the increase was found to be larger at higher pH. The results showed that liquid–liquid dispersion is a simple and scalable process to manufacture nanoscalar delivery systems of many bioactive compounds. However, physical properties of eventual food products are to be examined for the potential influence of the added delivery systems.