| Abstract: | Oil sources (canola, sunflower, and flax‐seed oil) characterized by unsaturated fatty acids are gelled by using cinnamic acid. The physical characteristics and crystallization kinetics of cinnamic acid‐based organogels are investigated. A phase diagram with cinnamic acid concentrations ranging from 1% to 7% (w/w) shows that both canola and sunflower oil organogels are formed at 3.0% (w/w) cinnamic acid at 5 °C. The flax‐seed oil organogels are formed at 4.0% (w/w) at 5 °C. Firmness is shown to be dependent on the fatty acid composition and viscosity of the oil. Flax‐seed oil with a higher degree of unsaturation and lower viscosity tends to produce harder organogels. This result is consistent with the observations of polarized light microscopy. The organogels have low solid fat content at 35 °C which is close to the human body temperature, and no effect of oil type is found. The X‐ray diffraction measurements show β'‐form crystal exists in three types of organogels. The thermal properties vary in different types of organogels. The crystallization kinetics results suggest that three types of organogels crystallize by 1D and 2D mixed growth and instantaneous nucleation. Practical Applications: These findings provide in‐depth characteristics of cinnamic acid‐based organogels, which are a substitute for solid fats. |
