Physicochemical Aspects of Triacylglycerides and Their Association to Functional Properties of Vegetable Oils
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The molecular phenomena that determine the viscosity and melting/crystallization temperatures of triacylglycerides (TG) in vegetable oils are discussed. These physico-chemical properties determine some of the functional properties of vegetable oils when used alone or in complex food system. For instance, when oils are cooled, the TG family with the highest melting temperature is the first to crystallize developing a solid in a liquid phase. These systems, generally known as plastic fats, have fractal organization with significant effect on the melting properties and spreadability of food systems like butter and margarine. On the other hand, in vegetable oils TG%27s are organized in bi-layer lamellar structures whose shape and size change with temperature and determine the magnitude of oil viscosity. In turn TG crystallization is affected by viscosity which determines, in a great extent, nucleation rate and crystal growth.
The molecular phenomena that determine the viscosity and melting/crystallization temperatures of triacylglycerides (TG) in vegetable oils are discussed. These physico-chemical properties determine some of the functional properties of vegetable oils when used alone or in complex food system. For instance, when oils are cooled, the TG family with the highest melting temperature is the first to crystallize developing a solid in a liquid phase. These systems, generally known as plastic fats, have fractal organization with significant effect on the melting properties and spreadability of food systems like butter and margarine. On the other hand, in vegetable oils TG's are organized in bi-layer lamellar structures whose shape and size change with temperature and determine the magnitude of oil viscosity. In turn TG crystallization is affected by viscosity which determines, in a great extent, nucleation rate and crystal growth.
