NANOEMULSIONS DERIVED BY MEANS OF ULTRASOUND AS A METHOD OF ENCAPSULATION OF BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES
The current investigation examines the possibility of using nanoemulsions of «oil-water» type obtained by applying ultrasonic treatment, in order to encapsulate biologically active substances of dihydroquercetin with the purpose of increasing and preserving its bioactive properties. The paper investigated the powder of two control emulsions (obtained by the traditional method) and two model samples (emulsions obtained by means of ultrasound) that were derived by means of different approaches. The analysis of the powder was carried out using the analyzer Nanotrac Ultra (Microtrac Inc., USA.) The studies also present data on the assessment of the total antioxidant activity of the samples of emulsions in question. Antioxidant activity was assessed by coulometric method using coulometer «Expert-006-antiox- idants» (registered in the State Register SI RF №23192) and expressed in mg of ascorbic acid. The results obtained in the framework of this studies made it possible to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of the use of ultrasonic effect intended to the production of nanoemulsions. The powder of one of the model samples of the emulsion was 174.8 nm, while the presence of fractions larger than 5000 nm was registered in the control samples. The results of the assessment of total antioxidant activity also showed a positive effect of ultrasonic action on the formation and preservation of bioactive properties of dihydroquercetin. The synergistic effect of antioxidant properties of linseed oil and dihydroquercetin was also registered. The results showed that the use of ultrasonic effect in the preparation of emulsions made it possible to increase the values of total antioxidant activity more than 2 times as compared to the control. Losses of antioxidant properties for the emulsions obtained by means of ultrasound were also lower than in the control samples of emulsions.