Emamectin benzoate-loaded zein nanoparticles produced by antisolvent precipitation method

Most traditional pesticide formulations contain environmentally unfriendly components and suffer from low utilization efficiency due to the loss, decomposition and burst release of active ingredients. Encapsulating pesticides using nanocarriers is a feasible approach to overcome these defects. In this work, the emamectin benzoate-loaded zein nanoparticles were fabricated by an antisolvent precipitation method combined with orthogonal experimental design. The mean size and zeta potential of the nanoparticles were 168 nm and 11.8 mV, respectively. The nano-delivery system could continuously release active ingredients, and exhibited the improved retention and bioavailability compared to traditional water dispersible granules. The one-step coprecipitation technique is simple, scalable and almost applicable to encapsulate all poorly soluble pesticides that have a certain solubility in ethanol solutions. The effective, sustained release and green nano-delivery system could significantly reduce the dosage and environmental pollution of pesticide, thereby improving ecological and economic effects. •EB@Zein nanoparticles were fabricated by an antisolvent precipitation method.•The nanoparticles were spherical and their average diameter was 168 nm.•The nanoparticles can continuously release active ingredients.•The nanoparticles exhibited the improved retention and bioavailability.