Abstract
For evaluation of the emulsifying ability of sericin extracted directly from fresh cocoons of Bombyx mori,are producible method has been formulated for preparing a vitamin E (α-tocopherol) emulsion through mechanical agitation using a high-speed homogenizer. The emulsifying ability varied depending on the timing of vitamin E addition, decreasing significantly when vitamin E was added prior to agitation in comparison with that when added along with agitation. It was shown that sericin effectively emulsified vitamin E when mixed in a sericin/vitamin E ratio of about 1 to 5 in weight. The concentration of phosphate buffer solution did not affect the emulsifying ability of sericin. Emulsions, however, were labile in solutions containing 3mM or higher sodium phosphate buffer (pH7.3), showing some insoluble sericin material after standing quiescent for 24h.
