Enhancing supersaturation maintenance of hydrophobic ingredients using nanostructured lipid carriers: The role of solid lipid type and level

This research investigates the potential of nanostructure lipid carriers (NLCs) to enhance the supersaturation maintenance capacity (SMC) of emodin, focusing on the impacts of different solid lipids, specifically glycerol di-stearate (GDS), and beeswax (BW), and varying solid-liquid lipid ratios. The results demonstrated that GDS-based emulsions (GEs) had lower supersaturation (4.68–11.96) than BW-based emulsions (BEs) (13.73–58.50) but showed higher SMC (0.47–5.42). The difference arises from BW's higher β' content and lower solubility for emodin. SMC of GEs increased with higher GDS content, whereas BE showed the opposite trend. This may be attributed to the lower β' crystal content and more ordered interfacial structure in GEs than BEs, indicating that the reduced crystal transitions and enhanced interfacial rigidity in GEs synergistically hinder the expulsion of emodin. This study highlights NLCs as effective delivery vehicles for enhancing SMC and emphasizing the critical role of solid lipid type and concentration in determining overall performance. [Display omitted] •Glyceryl distearate- based (GEs) and beeswax-based NLC (BEs) were prepared.•GEs exhibited lower initial supersaturation but higher SMC compared to BEs.•Low β’ content and amphiphilic nature of GDS enhanced the SMC.•GEs showed superior storage stability and higher emodin retention compared to BEs.