A high pressure method. up to 350 MPa. of producing an emulsion was tested on model oil-in-water emulsions with or without Tween 20 as an emulsifier. An increase in the oil content leads. without emulsifier, to an increase in the particle size at both 200 and 350 MPa. A moderate cooling leads to a decrease of the particle size at 350 MPa but seems to have no effect at 200 MPa. An increase in the continuous phase viscosity allows the formation of narrower distribution particles at both 200 and 350 MPa. The particle size produced at both 200 and 350 MPa with various contents of Tween 20 are similar. The pressure increase from 200 to 350 MPa does not allow the formation of a narrower distribution of particles. The influence of pressure on particle size is discussed. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.