Surface tension of bovine serum albumin and tween 20 at the air-aqueous interface

Interfacial properties (surface tension, σ, and critical micelle concentration, CMC) of aqueous solutions of Tween 20 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate) and/or bovine serum albumin (BSA) were evaluated. Temperature, Tween 20 concentration in the aqueous phase, BSA/Tween 20 ratio, and aqueous phase composition water, ethanol (0.5, 1.0, and 2.5 M), and sucrose (0.5 M)] were the variables studied. The CMC of Tween 20 was determined by surface tension measurements (Wilhelmy plate method). The existence of BSA-Tween 20 interactions was deduced from surface tension measurements. The results show that the effect of temperature on CMC depends on the aqueous phase composition, but the σ value at CMC, σ_CMC, does decrease as temperature is increased. The CMC and σ_CMC values also depend on the aqueous phase composition. In aqueous ethanol solutions, the CMC increases, but σ_CMC decreases. However, in sucrose aqueous solutions, the CMC decreases, but there is no significant effect on σ_CMC. The BSA-Tween 20 interactions at the interface depend on both Tween 20 concentration (C) and solute in the bulk phase. In water and aqueous solutions of ethanol and sucrose, σ values decrease in the presence of protein at C<CMC but are practically independent of C at C>CMC. This is an indication that the interfacial characteristics of the mixed film are determined by either the protein or the lipid at the higher and lower protein/lipid ratio, respectively. In the intermediate region, the existence of BSA-Tween 20 interactions dominates the interfacial characteristics of mixed films.