Quantification of oil/water emulsion stability kinetics using image analysis: ImageScan method

Condezo-Hoyos L.; Lama-Quispe S.; Apaza-Medrano Z.; Cortes-Avendaño P. · Food Chemistry (2026) · DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.147094

Resumen

The objective of this study was to develop and validate a kinetic and cost-effective image-based method (ImageScan), for the quantitative assessment of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion stability. O/W emulsions were prepared using commercial emulsifiers, and images of the emulsions were captured using a desktop scanner over time. The relative gravitational volume (rGV) was measured along the tube containing the O/W emulsions to calculate the Image Stability Index (ISI). The half-life time (HLTi) was determined from the ISI over time using ImageScanEM, a program developed in Google Colab. The ImageScan method was validated by measuring the stability of the O/W emulsions using kinetic and turbidimetric methods to evaluate the half-life time (HLTt). The HLTt and HLTi values demonstrated a strong correlation ( r = 0.9019, p < 0.05) and exhibited a 95 % agreement limit according to the Bland-Altman analysis. The ImageScan method facilitates the quantification and identification of instability layers in emulsion stability.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina