What are commonly used emulsifying agents in pharmaceutical products?

What are commonly used emulsifying agents in pharmaceutical products?

Natural Emulsifying Agents are substances derived from either vegetable sources such as acacia, tragacanth, alginates, Chondrus, xanthan, and pectin or animal sources such as gelatin, egg yolk, casein, wool fat, cholesterol, wax, and lecithin.

What are the examples of emulsifying agents?

Emulsifying agents used in foods include agar, albumin, alginates, casein, egg yolk, glycerol monostearate, gums, Irish moss, lecithin, soaps.

What is an emulsifier in pharmacy?

An emulsifier (or an emulgent) is a substance that essentially helps in the formation and stabilization of an emulsion. Emulsifiers are surface-active agents that act as the interface between the two immiscible liquids, like oil and water.

How do you choose an appropriate emulsifying agent?

Emulsifier Selection. Emulsifier selection is based upon the final product characteristics, emulsion preparation methodology, the amount of emulsifier added, the chemical and physical characteristics of each phase, and the presence of other functional components in the emulsion.

Why are emulsifying agents important in pharmaceuticals?

Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable and are usually stabilized by the presence of an emulsifier. Pharmaceutical emulsions are used for the administration of nutrients, drugs, and diagnostic agents. Topical creams and lotions are popular forms of emulsions for external use.

What are the properties of emulsifying agent?

An emulsifier consists of hydrophilic (water-soluble) part and lipophilic (oil-soluble) part. When an emulsifier is added to a mixture of water and oil, the emulsifier is arranged on the interface, anchoring its hydrophilic part into water and its lipophilic part into oil.

What is the main role of emulsifiers?

A food emulsifier, also called an emulgent, is a surface-active agent that acts as a border between two immiscible liquids such as oil and water, allowing them to be blended into stable emulsions. Emulsifiers also reduce stickiness, control crystallization and prevent separation.

How do I know how much emulsifier to use?

Application dosage. As a very general rule of thumb, the emulsifier is applied at about 20% of the oil phase. There are some emulsifiers that might work best at lower concentrations and there are some that should be applied at higher concentrations (especially when working with low oil concentrations).

How does an emulsifying agent work?

How do emulsifiers work? Emulsifier molecules work by having a hydrophilic end (water-loving) and hydrophobic end (water-hating). By vigorously mixing the emulsifier with the water and fat/oil, a stable emulsion can be made. Commonly used emulsifiers include egg yolk, or mustard.

What is difference between emulsion and suspension?

An emulsion is similar to a suspension only in that it is a mixture of two components. Unlike a suspension, which can consist of two components of any phase, an emulsion is a mixture of two liquids.

What is an emulsifying agent?

What is an emulsifying agent? “ Emulsifying agents are substances that are soluble in both fat and water and enable fat to be uniformly dispersed in water as an emulsion. Foods that consist of such emulsions include butter, margarine, salad dressings, mayonnaise and ice cream. Stabilizers maintain emulsions in a stable form.

What are emulsions in organic chemistry?

Emulsions are liquid preparations that typically contain a mixture of oil and water. The oil and water mix and are kept homogenized by the addition of an emulsifying agent of excipient. Excipients ensure that the oil phase is is kept finely dispersed throughout the water as minute globules. Emulsions are considered a type of liquid–liquid colloid.

What is the difference between excipients and emulsions?

Excipients ensure that the oil phase is is kept finely dispersed throughout the water as minute globules. Emulsions are considered a type of liquid–liquid colloid. Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable as the dispersed and continuous phases can revert back as separate phases, oil and water, by fusion or coalescence of droplets.

Why are emulsions thermodynamically unstable?

Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable as the dispersed and continuous phases can revert back as separate phases, oil and water, by fusion or coalescence of droplets. However, emulsions are commonly stabilized by an emulsifying agent, often referred to as a surfactant.