Investigating Factors Influencing the Stability of Enteral Nutritional Emulsions Designed for Cancer Patients

Abstract: Objective A commercially available reference product was “re-engineered” and the target emulsion was formulated to contain the same energy density, as well as the same percentage of energy sources, as the reference product. The particle size and distribution, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta-potential of emulsions were measured as indices to analyse the quality of the emulsions. Methods The centrifugal stability (Ke) was examined as the main measure of the stability of the target emulsion. Critical parameters affecting the stability of emulsions were also determined, while the temperature was fixed at 30°C, shear speed at 3500 r/min, and shear time was 15 min. The optimal quantity of emulsifier was also studied in the crude homogenate. Results A relatively stable emulsion could be obtained by using PC-50 at a dosage of 2% as the emulsifier. A 2: 1 proportion of whey protein to casein, a 1: 1 proportion of maltodextrin (DE 10-15) to maltodextrin (DE 15-20) and medium chain triglyceride (MCT) in powder form were used to obtain the most desirable emulsion. Conclusion This study explored the critical parameters that influence the stability of a total nutrition enteral emulsion designed for cancer patients, providing useful information for further industrialisation of this and other emulsion products.