Enhancing trans-Resveratrol loading capacity by forcing W1/O/W2 emulsions up to its colloidal stability limit

[Display omitted] •Resveratrol was encapsulated in water-in-oil-in water concentrated double emulsions.•Both the primary W1/O and the final loaded W1/O/W2 emulsions were concentrated.•Resveratrol encapsulation efficiency (EE) was determined by RP-HPLC method.•Maximum concentration rate was optimized in terms of colloidal stability and EE.•The double emulsions were prepared by mechanical agitation using a two-step process. Trans-Resveratrol (3, 5, 4'-trihydroxystilbene) is a naturally occurring polyphenol easily oxidizable and extremely photosensitive with a short biological half-life that must be encapsulated to maintain its beneficial properties on the human body. The aim of this work is to increase the amount of resveratrol encapsulated using concentrated double water-in-oil-in-water (W1/O/W2) emulsions, making these systems more interesting as ingredient for functional food products and/or pharmaceutical formulations. The concentration of the inner emulsion (W1/O) for several external (W1O/W2) ratios was optimized in terms of encapsulation efficiency (EE), colloidal stability and rheological behaviour. W1/O emulsions formulated with ratios of 30/70 and 40/60 were used to obtain double emulsions (with ratios of 20/80 up to 80/20 of W1O/W2). Trans-Resveratrol EE increased up to 90 % when the most concentrated double emulsions were prepared for both W1/O ratios tested. The maximum resveratrol concentrations on double emulsions were 10.8 mg/L and 14.4 mg/L when 30/70 and 40/60 of W1/O ratios were used, respectively. However, longer time stability was found for double high internal phase emulsions (W1O/W2) with a ratio of 30/70 of W1/O. The double emulsion formulated with a 80/20 W1O/W2 volumetric ratio together with 30/70 of W1/O seems suitable to be used as ingredient for pharmaceutical and food devices/products due to its high colloidal stability, clearly pseudoplastic and elastic behaviour, high EE and large trans-Resveratrol carrier capacity.