Effects of Triglyceride Molecular Structure on Optimum Formulation of Surfactant-Oil-Water Systems

The effects of triglyceride molecular structure on the formulation of surfactant-oil-water systems were evaluated by comparing the optimum salinity and the dynamic interfacial tensions. The systems contained an anionic extended surfactant and triglyceride oils with different chain lengths and degrees of unsaturation. The results show that with an increasing degree of oil unsaturation (more double bonds), surfactant interactions with the triglycerides become weaker, thus requiring higher optimum salinity and resulting in higher interfacial tension values. Effects of ester groups and chain length of triglycerides are also discussed and the EACN of the triglycerides and vegetable oils studied are reported.