INFORM February 2026

STRUCTURED FATS INFORM 25

(c)

1.0

1.5

2.0

5.0

M8 S8

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

5.0

1.0

Unstable M8 emulsion

(d)

(a)

(b)

5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0

5.0 4.9 4.8 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5

1.5 1.0

S8, % (w/w)

M8, % (w/w)

0.5 0.0 0 10 20304050607075

0 10 20304050607075

Stable S8 emulsion

Water, % (w/w)

Water, % (w/w)

Vials of M8 (top) and S8 (bottom) water-in-oil emulsions, with various gelator concentrations and a constant water concentration (50% v/v). Graph of (a) M8 and (b) S8 water-in-oil emulsions stability at different gelator and water concentrations—brown boxes represent unstable emulsions, green (one week) and blue boxes represent stable emulsions (more than four weeks). Fluorescence and confocal microscope images illustrate the stability of (c) M8 and (d) S8 water-in-oil emulsions.

and the loss modulus (G ″ ) which represents the viscous component. Higher G ′ values indicate a stiffer, more solid like gel. A five percent M8 gel in canola oil produced a G ′ of roughly 4000 Pa, whereas the corresponding S8 gel exhibited a G ′ of about 2000 Pa. At comparable concentrations, M8 gels consistently displayed more than twice the elastic modulus of S8 and maintained structural integrity up to higher temperatures. These results demonstrate that subtle stereochemical differences between M8 and S8 lead to distinct self-assembly pathways, ultimately dictating macroscopic properties such as gel strength, opacity, and thermal stability.

These differences arise from how each stereoisomer packs during self-assembly. The orientation of the C2 hydroxyl group in M8 enables stronger and more linear intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the neighboring molecules, promoting long fibrous aggregates that interconnect through the entire sample to form strong and stable gels (see page 24 image). In contrast, the C2 hydroxyl orientation in S8 favors intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl groups of C2 and C4. This intramolecular hydrogen bonding competes with and weakens the intermolecular hydrogen bonding necessary for extended network

range of vegetable oils show that M8 gelled more effectively than S8. For instance, in canola oil, M8 formed a firm, opaque gel at an MGC of about one weight percent, whereas we needed almost double S8 to yield a translucent, mechanically weaker gel. Thermal analysis further revealed that M8 gels possess substantially greater stability. The gel–sol transition temperature (T g ) for M8 was about 125 °C, while S8 gels began melting at around 63 °C—approximately half the transition temperature of M8. The mechanical strengths of these gels were measured by rheometer to yield the storage modulus (G ′ ) which represents the elastic component,