Influence of emulsifier type on sunflower oil oleogels structured with ethylcellulose

This study aimed to clarify the effect of different emulsifiers on the structural and functional properties of ethylcellulose (EC) based oleogels prepared with sunflower oil. Oleogels were formulated with 4 wt% EC as the oleogelator and 1 wt% emulsifier, including glyceryl monostearate (GMS), sorbitan monooleate (SMO), sorbitan monostearate (SMS), soybean lecithin (SBL), glyceryl monolaurate (GML), and sorbitan monolaurate (Span20). The incorporation of emulsifiers significantly influenced oleogel appearance, transparency, and color: EC-Span20 exhibited the highest clarity, EC-GMS appeared opaque and whitish, and EC-SBL showed a distinctive orange-red hue. Microscopic analysis showed emulsifiers induced distinct crystalline morphologies, while FTIR analysis indicated that emulsifier-EC interactions mainly relied on van der Waals forces. Small-angle X-ray scattering revealed that GMS and SBL promoted highly ordered lamellae, whereas Span20 and SMO formed short-range lamellar clusters. Despite these structural modifications, X-ray diffraction confirmed that all oleogels retained the β-crystalline form of EC. Functionally, emulsifiers enhanced performance: GMS, GML, SBL, and SMO significantly increased hardness, and all improved oil-binding capacity (OBC), among which EC-GMS had the highest OBC (55.25%), over twice of the control’s (26.17%). These findings show emulsifiers can effectively modulate EC based oleogels’ structural and functional properties, supporting their use in tailored food system design. • Emulsifiers altered the appearance, color, and transparency of EC oleogels. • GMS and SBL promoted highly ordered lamellar structures in oleogels. • All emulsifiers enhanced oil-binding capacity and hardness of oleogels. • EC and emulsifiers interacted mainly through van der Waals forces.