Crystal Structure and Gelation Properties of Multicomponent Oleogel Systems Composed of Octacosanol and Behenic Acid

Herein, multicomponent oleogels composed of octacosanol and behenic acid were constructed and characterized, and the assembly mechanism of the composite system was preliminarily analyzed. The results showed that the crystal microstructure, rheological properties, thermal properties and oil-holding capacity of the composite system significantly varied with the mass ratio of octacosanol to behenic acid. When the mass ratio of octacosanol to behenic acid was 8:2, the system showed synergistic effect, the crystal morphology was fibrous, and the crystal was distributed in a mixture of α and β’ polymorphs, with the highest elasticity modulus and the strongest oil holding capacity being observed. When the mass ratio of octacosanol to behenic acid was 4:6, there was an antagonistic effect in the system, the crystal morphology showed spherical fibrous aggregates, and the crystal forms were dominated by the α polymorph, the lowest crystallization temperature/melting temperature and the weakest gel strength and oil-holding capacity being observed. These results lay a theoretical foundation for promoting the application and production of oleogels in functional foods, and provide novel technical ideas for improving the utilization of octacosanol.