Stability of fish oil emulsion using modified alginate as emulsifier

Humans require omega 3 as an anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting agent. One of the main sources of this fatty acid is fish oil. Due to its double bonds, this fatty acid is sensitive to be oxidized. Encapsulation is applied to reduce the oil oxidation. This method required a stable emulsion prior the encapsulation process. Alginate has a potency to be used as an alternative emulsifier to stabilize an emulsion. Modification of alginate using Dodecenyl Succinic Anhydride (DSA) helps in improving hydrophobic characteristic of alginate, hence its modification could act as emulsifier. This research aimed to determine fish oil emulsion stability as a function of oil-modified alginate ratio, homogenization temperature, stirring speed, and storage temperature. Phase separation was determined to represent the emulsion stability. The results showed higher ratio of oil-alginate, homogenization temperature, and storage temperature led the emulsion to be unstable. However, increasing stirring speed improved the emulsion stability. The most stable emulsion was obtained using 1:1 (v/w) of oil-alginate which was stirred at 30°C as temperature of homogenization using 20,000 rpm and was stored at 23°C.