Icon Legend

This session is not in your schedule.

This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.

2025 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo.

Edible Applications Technology

Lipid Crystallization II

Characterization of a new multi-component self-assembling fibrillar network (SAFiN) oleogelator system

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

3:55 PM – 4:15 PM PST

Room: A106

Co-Author(s)

MS

Mursalin Sajib

Postdoctoral Researcher
University of California, Davis, United States
EW

Erwin R. Werner

Postdoctoral Researcher
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA, United States
NN

Nitin Nitin

Professor
University of California, Davis, United States

Presenting Author(s)

Andrew J. Gravelle

Assistant Professor
University of California, Davis
Davis, California, United States

Abstract: Stearic acid (StAc) and glycerol monostearate (GMS) are well-known small molecular weight oleogelators that structure edible oils through the formation of lipid crystal networks with either platelet-like or spherulitic morphology. Here, we demonstrate that combining these gelators can instead produce self-assembled fibrillar networks (SAFiNs) with highly directional crystal fibers on the order of 10-100 μm in length. The impact of gelator composition was evaluated using a fixed gelator concentration (11.25%) and systematically varying the StAc:GMS ratio (1:0, 10:1, 7.5:1, 5:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, and 0:1). The size, thickness, and morphology of the fibrils strongly depended on the gelator ratio, with fibril formation observed between ratios of 7.5:1 and 1:1. All fibrils exhibited helical twisting, with both fiber thickness and helical repeat increasing with higher StAc content. In contrast, greater crystal mismatch and “fraying” were observed with increasing GMS content. Both FTIR spectra and X-ray diffraction patterns of the SAFiNs appeared as superpositions of the pure components, although a decrease in intensity was observed in the small-angle X-ray diffraction region as crystal mismatch increased. All fibril-producing combinations showed a slight decrease in the melting temperature and rheological flow point (~5-10 °C) relative to pure StAc. The StAc:GMS ratio also impacted the resulting oleogel strength, with the largest SAFiN crystals (10:1, 7.5:1) being firmer than both pure StAc and ratios with a higher GMS content. Rheological analysis showed a decrease in the flow point as GMS content increased, reaching a minimum at 5:1. Differences in the non-linear rheological behavior were also observed, and are currently under more detailed analysis. Overall, this study demonstrated the ability of two well-established gelators to form SAFiN-based oleogels and highlighted the flexibility of modulating fiber morphology and the associated impact on thermo-mechanical and textural properties of the resulting oleogels.