Dual functionality of diacylglycerols in water-in-oil emulsion gel systems

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2024 Feb 21;236:113810. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.113810. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTDistearin (DS) can be used as an emulsifier, due to its surface activity derived from the amphiphilic nature of the molecule, moreover, it can also crystallize and form a 3D crystal network that can induce oil gelation. The current research aimed to examine the ability to combine both emulsifying and oil gelation properties to structure and stabilize water-in-oil emulsion gel system. Different water contents and DS concentrations produce emulsion gels with different textural attributes while incorporating up to 30% of water in a 15% wt. DS-based oleogel resulted in stable white gels. Microscopy imaging confirmed the formation of a water-in-oleogel type emulsion gel characterized by DS crystallization in the continuous phase and at the interface through Pickering mechanism. A positive relation was observed between the G' and hardness values and water content, suggesting gel strengthening resulted from interactions between the DS crystals at the interface and the continuous phase, as suggested by the active filler theory. Thermal analysis revealed two broad melting events at the temperature range of 42.2-44.9 °C and 55.9-58.6 °C for emulsion gels with 10-30% water content, suggesting initial melting of β' polymorph and transition to β during melting, which was confirmed by XRD. The results showed that homogenization significantly improved the oil retenti...

Source: Colloids and Surfaces - March 2, 2024 Category: Biotechnology Authors: Karin Wagner Maya Davidovich-Pinhas Source Type: research