Preparation of gelatin microparticles using water-in-water (w/w) emulsification technique

Gelatin microparticles were prepared using water-in-water (w/w) emulsification technique, in which aqueous solutions of gelatin and polypropylene glycol (PEG) were employed as dispersed phase and continuous phase, respectively. The effect of gelatin and PEG concentrations on the size of gelatin microparticles were evaluated. The size of the gelatin microparticles decreased with the increase in PEG concentration and increased with the increase in gelatin concentration. The gelatin microparticles obtained through this process were nearly perfect spheres with smooth surface. The gelatin microparticles, both un-crosslinked and crosslinked, were found to be fully amorphous in nature. The un-crosslinked gelatin microparticles were found to swell instantaneously (within 10 s) whereas the crosslinked ones were quite resistant to water uptake. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved