Abstract
Based on X-ray diffraction measurements, aggregation and structural changes in the L2-phase have been studied in the system water/soybean oil/sunflower oil monoglycerides at 40°C. The main region of the phase diagram contains water and an L2-phase in equilibria. A cooperative effect in the aggregation of the monoglycerides into reversed micelles in the oil is proposed as a kind of association limit into an L2-phase at about 10% (w/w) monoglycerides and 90% (w/w) triglycerides. The L2-phase is proposed to have a lipid bilayer type of structure even when the oil is the major component.