Water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsions are effective vehicles for embedding application of active compounds but limited by their thermodynamic instability and rapid release properties. The present study added bovine serum albumin, whey protein isolate, whey protein hydrolysate, sodium caseinate, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, fish gelatin, apple pectin, gum arabic, ι-carrageenan, and hydroxypropyl chitosan separately to the internal or external aqueous phase to investigate their effects on the physical stabilities and controlled release properties of W/O/W emulsions. The effects of the natural macromolecules in the internal and external aqueous phases were different and depended upon the macromolecule structure and its mass fraction. The addition of the natural macromolecule strengthened the interfaces of emulsions, which improved the physical stability. The natural macromolecules that improved the stability often did not improve controlled release. Therefore, the balance between these properties needs to be considered when adding natural macromolecules to a W/O/W emulsion.
Keywords: W/O/W emulsion; controlled release; interface behavior; interface characteristics; natural macromolecule; stability.