Impact of Xanthan Gum on Stability and Rheological Properties of Multiple Emulsions Type Water-in-Oil-in-Water

The aim of this study was to improve the stability and rheological properties of water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) multiple emulsions containing 30 wt% paraffin oil, and 4 wt% polyglycerol-3-polycinoleate (PGPR) as a lipophilic surfactant. This was done by adding different concentrations of xanthan gum (GX) and the hydrophilic surfactants (Polyoxyethylene (80) sorbitan monooleate (Tween® 80), poloxamer 407(Lutrol® F127) using the emulsification in a two-steps process. The stability of the W/O/W multiple emulsions was analyzed over one-month storage period using physicochemical and rheological measurements. An excellent structure appeared with 0.175 wt% of xanthan gum in the outer aqueous phase and 1 wt% of Tween® 80. The modified Cross model was successfully applied to fit the flow curves of multiple W/O/W emulsions at different concentrations of xanthan gum. The incorporation of xanthan gum in a concentration range of 0.05-0.175 wt% induced an increase in the yield stress, in the zero-shear rate viscosity, and in the infinite shear rate viscosity of the multiple emulsions. The study also showed that adding xanthan gum in a concentration range of 0.05-0.175 wt% to W/O/W emulsions caused an increase in the viscosity of the system in the Newtonian regime and viscoelastic behavior.