Impact of polymorphism in oleogels of -palmitoyl-L-phenylalanine.

Gels of edible oils, also called oleogels, are developed as alternative products of solid fats to limit the uptake of saturated and -unsaturated fats and lower the associated risk of coronary disease. The gelation of oils can be achieved with a low molecular weight organogelator (LMWO), a compound that self-assembles at low concentrations in a solid 3D network and provides the mixture its solid-like behavior. We have studied -palmitoyl-L-phenylalanine (Palm-Phe), an endogenous compound ( naturally present in the human body) as a model LMWO of rapeseed oil.

Beyond Sol-Gel: Molecular Gels with Different Transitions.

The existence of sol-gel transitions is one of the most manifest properties of molecular gels. These transitions reflect their nature since they correspond to the association or dissociation of low weight molecules through non-covalent interactions to form the network constitutive of the gel. Most described molecular gels undergo only one gel-to-sol transition upon heating, and the reverse sol-to-gel transition upon cooling.