Investigation of nanostructural boundaries of lycopene microemulsion using electrical conductivity

Microemulsions (MEs) are single optically isotropic and thermodynamically stable mixtures of at least three components (polar phase, nonpolar phase and surfactant) showing selective and safe extractioncapability of bioactive molecules from different matrices including plant tissues. Moreover,determination of various internal structures of MEs and their boundaries could provide valuable information with regard to their applications. Hence, the present study was aimed at microemulsionextraction of lycopene from tomato pomace and determination of normal micelle, reverse micelle andbicontinuous nanostructures in the prepared microemulsion, in order to provide background and basis on which further study would be planned contributing to lycopene extraction efficiency in different nanostructures. In the current study, electrical conductivity measurements along dilution lines passingthrough monophasic region in the plotted pseudoternary phase diagram were applied to investigate thedivergent nanostructures in the monophasic microemulsion (prepared using natural surfactant of saponin and co-surfactant of propylene glycol with mass ratio of surfactant:lycopene of 20:1 andsurfactant:co-surfactant of 1:2). Water titration method and electrical conductivity measurements along dilution lines demonstrated great deal of potential in swift and inexpensive configuration of different nanostructures and their related boundaries, and hence can be considered to be new promising methods for such purposes

Keywords:

Electrical Conductivity , Lycopene , Microemulsion , Phase Transition