Palmitoylethanolamide gels edible oils. (30th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Schwaller, Duncan; Sui, Yi; Carvalho, Alain; Collin, Dominique; Mésini, Philippe J.
• Is Part Of: Food chemistry. Volume 386(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-08-30
• Subjects: Palmitoylethanolamide -- Organogelators -- Oleogelators -- Oil -- Phase diagram; Food -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Food -- Composition -- Periodicals; 664
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.132671
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0308-8146

Abstract

Highlights: Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), an endogenous molecule, gels edible oils at conc. of 1 wt% The corresponding gels have elastic moduli sufficiently high to texture lipid phases. In the gel state, PEA forms solid lamellar particles connected into a 3D network. The c - T PEA/rapeseed oil phase diagram was mapped. The sol-to-gel transitions and the melting of the solid particles are distinct. Abstract: Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endogenous compound with no adverse effect for oral intakes of a gram per day. We show that PEA gels edible oils at concentrations as low as 0.5 wt%. The elastic moduli values of the formed gels are 1400 Pa at 1 wt% and 9000 Pa at 2 wt%. The study of the gels by cryo-SEM, optical microscopy and WAXS show that PEA forms lamellar solid aggregates with widths of several tens of micrometers. Upon heating, the sample shows two transitions. The first one is the gel-to-sol transition, observed by rheology and defined by the switch from a solid to a liquid behavior. During this transition, the solid particles remain but do no longer form a network. The second transition, observed at higher temperature by DSC corresponds to the melting of the solid particles.