Vegetable and mineral oil oleogels developed at different monoglyceride to lecithin molar ratios

Thermomechanical and microstructural properties of oleogels developed with 2.1 to 15.7 Moles of monoglycerides/Mole of lecithin (MG/LC) were studied. The oleogels were developed (15°C) in vegetable (VO) and mineral (MO) oils using at each MG/LC 2% or 4% total mass of gelator. During oleogelation a synergistic interaction existed between the MG and the LC deriving in the development of MG‐LC cocrystals even below the gelators' minimum gelling concentration. In the VO, the oil with the highest relative polarity, the oleogels were structured by a network of β crystals where the cocrystals delayed the Lα → β polymorphic transition and worked as an active filler. In the MO, the oil with the lowest relative polarity, the development of cocrystals was favored while the Lα → β transition occurred just in the 15.7 MG/LC oleogels. Then, at all MG/LC the VO oleogels with 2% or 4% total gelator concentration achieved higher G′ than MO oleogels. However, the presence of β crystals in VO oleogels will result in deleterious effects in shorter time than in MO oleogels. In both oils the oleogels with the highest G′ and gel‐like rheological behavior were achieved at 8.1 MG/LC, particularly at 4% total gelator concentration. Under these conditions the β polymorph was limited developed in VO oleogels and completely absent in MO oleogels. Then, the rheology of MG‐LC oleogels with storage stability might be tailored using as design variables the MG/LC, the total gelator concentration, and the polarity of the oil.