Preparation and rheological characterization of shellac oleogels and oleogel-based emulsions

We report the preparation and rheological characterization of oleogels and oleogel-based emulsions prepared using shellac as a structurant. Shellac showed excellent oleogelation properties, resulting in liquid oil gelation at a concentration as low as 2 wt%. Microscopic evaluation of these oleogels indicated that the oil gelation was a result of physical entrapment of liquid oil in crystal networks of shellac formed by cooling the hot oil dispersions of shellac to room temperature. The rheological behaviour of shellac oleogels to varying deformation (% strain) was comparable to oleogels prepared using a commercial crystal starter. The cooling and shear rate showed a significant effects on the rheological properties of formed oleogels. The thermo-reversible, hysteresis, thixotropic and shear thinning properties of oleogels were evaluated by comparing rheological data obtained from rotational and oscillatory measurements. Shellac oleogels were further used as continuous phases to generate emulsifier-free w/o emulsions which surprisingly showed good stability over 4 months of storage. Microscopy and rheological evaluations of these emulsions were carried out to obtain more insight into its microstructures.