Dense Coconut Oil-in-Water (CO-Water) Emulsification via a Vortex-Based Cavitation Device

In this study, a vortex-based hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) device was used to produce coconut oil-in-water (CO-water) emulsions. Emulsions were produced at 200 kPa and 25 °C with coconut oil (CO) volume fractions (α_o) of 0.15, 0.30, 0.45, and 0.60. The influence of the CO volume fraction on the droplet size distribution (DSD), Sauter mean diameter (d₃₂), other characteristic diameters, and droplet breakage efficiency (η) was investigated. To examine the influence of dispersed-phase properties, the DSD profiles of CO-water were compared with rapeseed oil-in-water (RO-water) emulsions. This study validates the application of a turbidity-based method for estimating droplet size (d₃₂) in CO-water emulsions, demonstrating its potential for real-time process monitoring.