.3.6. Discussion
Among the systems in which emulsions were formed, 60:40 W:O ratio emulsions were more stable than 30:70 ones. The main reason is that, at 60:40 ratio, with larger volume and number of water droplets, the apparent viscosity increased, intensifying the hydrodynamic interaction, which led to a lower sedimentation rate. In the same way, a faster destabilization of emulsions with hexadecane occurred because this oil has lower viscosity than the soybean oil, which decreases steric stabilization. Besides, the higher interfacial tension of the water–hexadecane interface and the bigger difference between the water and hexadecane densities led to a faster phase separation in the emulsions with hexadecane in relation to those with soybean oil.