A scalable and eco-friendly carbohydrate-based oleogelator for vitamin E controlled delivery

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular chemistry
• Materials science
• Carbohydrate chemistry

Background:

• Supramolecular oleogels utilize low-molecular-weight gelators for self-assembly into nanostructures via non-covalent interactions.
• Applications span food, cosmetics, and environmental remediation, such as marine oil spill cleanup.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a simple, scalable, and eco-friendly carbohydrate-based oleogelator, the sodium salt of N,N'-dimethyl β-C glucosyl barbiturate (GlcBMe).
• To investigate the self-assembly mechanism and gelation properties of GlcBMe in polar solvents and non-polar vegetable oils.
• To evaluate the rheological properties and potential for controlled release applications.

Main Methods:

• Sonication-induced self-assembly of GlcBMe in the presence of water.
• Gelation of polar organic solvents and subsequent non-polar vegetable oils via cationic exchange with quaternary ammonium surfactants.
• Rheological analysis, multi-scale structural analysis, and IR spectroscopy to characterize the oleogel network.
• Investigation of vitamin E release kinetics under varying pH conditions.

Main Results:

• GlcBMe forms self-assembled fibrillar networks capable of bridging insoluble particles in oil.
• Hydrogen bonding between carbohydrate hydroxyl groups and barbituric ring carbonyls stabilizes the fibrous network.
• The resulting oleogels exhibit non-Newtonian, shear-thinning, and thixotropic behavior.
• Excellent control and pH-dependent slow release of loaded vitamin E were achieved.

Conclusions:

• GlcBMe is an effective and environmentally friendly oleogelator for various solvents and oils.
• The oleogels possess tunable rheological properties and demonstrate potential for controlled delivery systems.
• The pH-dependent release mechanism offers opportunities for targeted applications, particularly in drug or nutrient delivery.