Preparation of microemulsion containing Lycopersicon esculentum extract: In vitro characterization and stability studies

Abstract

Lycopene, the active component of Lycopersicon esculentum species, has been reported for the protecting capabilities against ultra-violet induced skin pigmentation, antioxygen and antityrosinase activities. In the present study, extract of tomato fruit was obtained from the Lycopersicon esculentum plant using solvent system comprised of hexaneethanol-acetone. The phyto-chemical active constituent “lycopene” was then identified by spectrophotometric technique at 470nm. Micro emulsions were developed containing different ratio of water, isopropyl myristate (oil), tween 80 and propylene glycol as surfactant and co-surfactant respectively via pseudoternary phase diagram. Various physicochemical tests were performed including globular size, conductivity, viscosity, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), refractive index (RI) and pH measurement for the formulation characterization. Results of physical and chemical stability studies showed that the micro emulsion with proportion of surfactant: co-surfactant of 2:1(Smix) was found to be optimized formulation and with enhanced stability. Therefore, concluded that the stability of the micro emulsion was dependent on the proportions of surfactant/co-surfactant, water and oil in the preparation.