Progress on Polymer-Based Oleogels and Organogels

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 July 2023) | Viewed by 14043

Special Issue Editors


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3B’s Research Group, I3Bs - Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics of University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Avepark - Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco, Guimarães, Portugal; ICVS/3B’s - PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4805-017 Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
Interests: Material science; biomaterials; natural polymers; soft materials; ionic liquids; materials chemistry; biomedical applications; green chemistry; polymeric materials; biotechnology; polymer characterization.

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Guest Editor
1. 3B's Research Group, I3Bs–Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco, Guimarães, Portugal
2. ICVS/3B’s–PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
Interests: sustainable biomaterials composites; polymer lightweight composites; melt-based technologies and properties; natural-origin materials; lignocellulosic materials; antimicrobial properties; biodegradability; value-added products; biomedical applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
1. 3B’s Research Group, I3Bs—Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal
2. ICVS/3B’s–PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal
Interests: tissue engineering; regenerative medicine; biomaterials; biomimetics; biodegradable materials; 3D in vitro models; cancer modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of oleogels and organogels is becoming an active area of research as they have recently been shown to be feasible not only for applications in the food industry, but also for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and biomedical ones. Such systems are semi-solid materials composed of networks entrapping an oil, in which changes in their composition, for instance, oil components or gelling agents, allow for tailoring or improving their physical, chemical, functional, and nutritional properties. In that sense, various structuring methods based on renewable sources, namely polymers, proteins, and oils, have been explored, envisioning the creation of innovative products with additional benefits to human health and the environment. Recent trends of incorporating bioactive compounds into oleogels and organogels also offer pathways for using them for the stabilization and delivery of those substances.

The Special Issue of Polymers on polymer-based oleogels and organogels is focused on the most recent new design concepts, and on the technological and scientific advances that have been made in the past few years. We invite authors to submit original research papers, comprehensive reviews, or communications that cover the concepts, current challenges, and strategies to develop high-value oleogels and organogels.

Dr. Simone Silva
Dr. Emanuel M. Fernandes
Prof. Dr. Rui L. Reis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • oleogels
  • organogels
  • polymers
  • biopolymer engineering and functionalization
  • edible structure or film
  • proteins
  • ethylcellulose
  • delivery systems
  • mechanism of gelation
  • food science
  • cosmetics
  • pharmaceutical
  • biomedical applications
  • bigels
  • emulgel

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3233 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Physical, Mechanical, Biopharmaceutical Properties of Emulgels and Bigel Containing Ciclopirox Olamine
by Agnė Mazurkevičiūtė, Inga Matulytė, Marija Ivaškienė and Modestas Žilius
Polymers 2022, 14(14), 2783; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14142783 - 07 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1597
Abstract
Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable systems and it is difficult to produce biphasic formulations with large amounts of oil. The aim of our study was to prepare biphasic formulations containing 1% ciclopirox olamine and to determine the influence of the method of oil incorporation [...] Read more.
Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable systems and it is difficult to produce biphasic formulations with large amounts of oil. The aim of our study was to prepare biphasic formulations containing 1% ciclopirox olamine and to determine the influence of the method of oil incorporation (without and with emulsifier and gelifier) on the physical (pH, particle size, rheological properties), mechanical, and biopharmaceutical properties of the formulations. It was found that the use of a poloxamer 407 gel as the hydrophase could result in a stable formulation when an oil with (EPG) or without an emulsifier (APG) or oleogel (OPG) was used as the oily phase. The results of the studies showed that the addition of an emulsifier (polysorbate 80) led to a decrease in the sol-gel temperature, a slower release of ciclopirox olamine, and a higher stability in the freeze–thaw test. However, regardless of the way the oil is incorporated, the particles are distributed in the same range and the antifungal activity against T. rubrum is the same. It is possible to create a biphasic formulation with a large amount of oil and poloxamer gel, but for greater stability, it is recommended to include an emulsifier in the composition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Polymer-Based Oleogels and Organogels)
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16 pages, 2350 KiB  
Article
Tailoring Natural-Based Oleogels Combining Ethylcellulose and Virgin Coconut Oil
by Simone S. Silva, Luísa C. Rodrigues, Emanuel M. Fernandes, Flávia C. M. Lobo, Joana M. Gomes and Rui L. Reis
Polymers 2022, 14(12), 2473; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14122473 - 17 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2764
Abstract
Oleogels are becoming an attractive research field, since they have recently been shown to be feasible for the food and pharmaceutical sectors and provided some insights into the biomedical area. In this work, edible oleogels were tailored through the combination of ethylcellulose (EC), [...] Read more.
Oleogels are becoming an attractive research field, since they have recently been shown to be feasible for the food and pharmaceutical sectors and provided some insights into the biomedical area. In this work, edible oleogels were tailored through the combination of ethylcellulose (EC), a gelling agent, with virgin coconut oil (VCO), vegetable oil derived from coconut. The influence of the different EC and VCO ratios on the structural, physical, and thermal properties of the oleogels was studied. All EC/VCO-based oleogels presented a stable network with a viscoelastic nature, adequate structural stability, modulable stiffness, high oil-binding capability, antioxidant activity, and good thermal stability, evidencing the EC and VCO’s good compatibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Polymer-Based Oleogels and Organogels)
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13 pages, 17438 KiB  
Article
Conversion of Whey Protein Aerogel Particles into Oleogels: Effect of Oil Type on Structural Features
by Stella Plazzotta, Isabella Jung, Baldur Schroeter, Raman P. Subrahmanyam, Irina Smirnova, Sonia Calligaris, Pavel Gurikov and Lara Manzocco
Polymers 2021, 13(23), 4063; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13234063 - 23 Nov 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3632
Abstract
Protein aerogel particles prepared by supercritical-CO2-drying (SCD) of ground whey protein (WP) hydrogels (20% w/w, pH 5.7) were converted into oleogels by dispersion in selected edible oils (castor, cod liver, corn, flaxseed, MCT, peanut and sunflower oil). The [...] Read more.
Protein aerogel particles prepared by supercritical-CO2-drying (SCD) of ground whey protein (WP) hydrogels (20% w/w, pH 5.7) were converted into oleogels by dispersion in selected edible oils (castor, cod liver, corn, flaxseed, MCT, peanut and sunflower oil). The obtained oleogels were analysed for oil content, microstructure, rheological properties, and ATR-FTIR spectra. Except for castor oil, solid-like, plastic materials with comparable composition (80% oil, 20% WP) and rheological properties (G′~3.5 × 105 Pa, G″~0.20 × 105 Pa, critical stress~800 Pa, tanδ~0.060) were obtained. Optical and confocal microscopy showed that the generated structure was associated with the capillary-driven absorption of oil into the porous aerogel particles interconnected via particle-particle interactions. In this structure, the oil was stably entrapped. Results evidenced the reduced role of edible oil characteristics with the exception of castor oil, whose high polarity probably favoured particle–oil interactions hindering particle networking. This work demonstrates that WP aerogels could be regarded as versatile oleogel templates allowing the structuring of many edible oils into solid-like materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Polymer-Based Oleogels and Organogels)
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Review

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23 pages, 27326 KiB  
Review
Application of Analytical Methods for the Comprehensive Analysis of Oleogels—A Review
by Andreea Pușcaș, Vlad Mureșan and Sevastița Muste
Polymers 2021, 13(12), 1934; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13121934 - 10 Jun 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4540
Abstract
Numerous empirical studies have already been conducted on the innovative fat-replacing system defined as oleogel, creating a real urge for setting up a framework for future research, rather than conducting studies with arbitrary methods. This study re-evaluates the utility of some analyses and [...] Read more.
Numerous empirical studies have already been conducted on the innovative fat-replacing system defined as oleogel, creating a real urge for setting up a framework for future research, rather than conducting studies with arbitrary methods. This study re-evaluates the utility of some analyses and states some conclusions in order to eliminate the reluctance of food processors and consumers towards the utilization of oleogels as ingredients. The review presents extensively the methods applied for the characterization of various oleogels, while highlighting their addressability or inconveniences. The discussed methods were documented from the research published in the last five years. A classification of the methods is proposed based on their aims or the utility of the results, which either describe the nano-structure and the network formation, the quality of the resulting oleogel or its suitability as food ingredient or other edible purposes. The general conclusions drawn for some classes of oleogels were also revisited, in order to ease the understanding of the oleogel behaviour, to encourage innovative research approaches and to stimulate the progress in the state of art of knowledge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Polymer-Based Oleogels and Organogels)
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