Effect of Particle Size on Colloidal Solid Triglycerides

The size-dependent behavior of different crystalline, colloidal monoacid and complex triglycerides in aqueous dispersion is investigated, mainly by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. With decreasing particle size the melting range of the triglycerides broadens and shifts to lower temperatures. The melting of particles in small-size dispersions (e.g., with mean particle sizes around 100 nm) of even, saturated monoacid triglycerides such as tripalmitin and trimyristin is characterized by a sequence of discrete sharp transitions which are not due to polymorphism. This complex melting process is observed with different types of stabilizers. The sequence of melting events originates from the shape and layered structure of the triglyceride nanocrystals leading to successive discrete transitions corresponding to the melting of particle fractions with different thickness. In dispersions of complex triglycerides, the individual transitions are less sharp or even undetectable. The heat of fusion and the crystallization temperature of the nanoparticles decrease slightly with decreasing particle size whereas the rate of polymorphic transitions increases. Moreover, dispersions containing extremely small nanoparticles display an X-ray diffraction pattern indicating the presence of a crystal form that seems not to have been described previously for these triglycerides.