Stabilization of water-in-oil emulsion of Pulicaria jaubertii extract by ultrasonication: Fabrication, characterization, and storage stability

•A functional emulsion containing bioactive compounds from PJ extract was developed.•Physical and chemical stability of emulsions were measured for 28 days at 25 and 4 °C.•Ultrasound treatment was lead to enhancing the physicochemical properties of emulsions.•Increasing sonication power reduced particle size and decreased flocculation.•Emulsion technology is considered a good delivery system for bioactive compounds. This study investigated the effect of ultrasonic treatments on the properties and stability of the water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion of Pulicaria jaubertii (PJ) extract. The study used different ultrasound powers (0, 100, 200, 400, and 600 W) at two storage degrees (4 and 25 °C) for 28 days. The findings showed that the emulsifying properties were improved to different extents after ultrasonic treatments. The treatment at 600 W showed optimum particle size, polydispersity index, emulsifying property, viscosity properties, and release of total phenolic content than the other powers. However, the ultrasonic power of 400 W gave positive effects on creaming index and antioxidant release compared to 600 W. The emulsion stored at 4 °C presented higher stability than that stored at 25 °C during the 28 days of storage. Microscopically, the increase in sonication power up to 600 W reduced particle size and decreased flocculation, thus resulted in stable emulsions, which is desirable for its applications in food systems.