Food volatile compounds facilitating HII mesophase formation: solubilization and stability

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Materials Science
• Physical Chemistry

Background:

• Food volatile molecules are crucial for flavor and aroma.
• Controlling their release and stability is essential for food product development.
• Self-assembling lipidic systems offer potential for encapsulating and delivering volatile compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the solubilization of four lipophilic food volatile molecules in monoolein/water systems.
• To determine the impact of these volatiles on the formation and stability of liquid crystalline mesophases.
• To explore the potential for controlled release of food volatiles from these mesophases.

Main Methods:

• Solubilization of phenylacetaldehyde, 2,6-dimethyl-5-heptenal, linalool, and trans-4-decenal in binary monoolein/water mixtures.
• Formation and characterization of liquid crystalline phases (lamellar, cubic, hexagonal H(II)) using techniques not specified but implied by phase analysis.
• Analysis of phase transitions and lattice parameters in response to temperature and composition.

Main Results:

• High solubilization loads of food volatiles (10.0-12.6 wt%) were achieved, forming stable reverse hexagonal (H(II)) mesophases without solvents.
• Phenylacetaldehyde formed lamellar and cubic phases, while linalool, 2,6-dimethyl-5-heptenal, and trans-4-decenal induced a direct transition to stable H(II) mesophases.
• Lattice parameters varied with water content, temperature, and volatile concentration; trans-4-decenal yielded a more stable H(II) phase than linalool.
• The H(II) mesophase transformed into an isotropic micellar phase at 40-60 °C, enabling volatile release.

Conclusions:

• Lipophilic food volatiles can act as structure-directing agents in monoolein/water systems, forming stable H(II) mesophases.
• The chemical structure of the volatile influences the resulting mesophase and its stability.
• These self-assembling systems provide a promising platform for the controlled delivery and stabilization of food flavor compounds.