While emulsions have the potential to offer many protective
characteristics as carotenoid delivery systems, they also have
limitations.
A serious problem found in using emulsions is that
they have a tendency to become unstable when subjected to environmental
stresses commonly encountered in food processing
(heating, freezing, altering pH)
An additional
problem is that the high surface area of emulsified lipids
could create a large contact area that could increase interactions
between the carotenoids in the lipid droplet and water-soluble
prooxidants.