Abstract

Oil-in-water (O/W) multilayer emulsions have been used to encapsulate volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Nevertheless, research associated with application in horticulture has been poorly studied. The objective of this study was to develop O/W emulsions for releasing VOCs to induce vegetable growth. Emulsions were prepared with vegetable oil, soybean lecithin and polysaccharides to formulate a stable product. The results indicated that O/W emulsions formulated with chitosan and sodium alginate were stable in a wide range of pH, temperature, and ionic strength. Furthermore, a direct relation between emulsions stability and VOC carbon was observed. The 2-nonanone (50-250 ppm) released from O/W emulsions increased the foliar length on L. saliva and S. lycopersicum. Additionally, root lateral number was increased in S. lycopersicum after exposition to released 2-nonanone. Surface elements as carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen were increased on leaves. It empathized that total nitrogen of both vegetables increased with exposition to 2-nonanone. Therefore, O/W emulsions can be an effective tool to microencapsulate VOCs with potential horticulture application.