Project code PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2016-0113

Contract no. 51 PD / 2018

Title: „Oleogelation – a promising technology to protect and improve stability of unsaturated fatty acids and other lipophilic bioactive molecules”

        To reduce the trans- and saturated fat content in food products, the conversion of edible liquid oil (> 90% w) into a gelled structure (i.e., oleogelation) by the means of structurants molecules, is receiving a great interest from food researchers. Even if, in the last few years different oil structurants were reported for preparing oleogels, there is still necessary to find food-grade oil structurant or structurants mixtures, showing high compatibility with food matrix and being economical, efficient at low concentrations while suitable for food processing conditions. To the moment, the incorporation of solely oleogels as lipids into complex foods might be considered overambitious, while known oleogels provide insufficient hardness in the products. In this context, new strategies for edible oil structuring are demanded by academics and industry.

      New approaches are proposed in the current project by exploring synergistic interactions among different food-grade oil structurants. To better control and understand the oil gelation phenomena of unexplored mixtures of oleogelators, the new gelled oils phase diagrams, microstructure, techno-functional properties as well as intermolecular interactions will be studied by infrared spectroscopy, microscopy, advanced rheological and thermal studies. The optimum synergistic oleogelators systems will be used to prepare novel oleogels from oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids and polyphenols (olive, pumpkin, flax and sea buckthorn seeds oils).

       Unsaturated fatty acids oxidative stability and lipophilic bioactive molecules protection of the novel oleogels will be studied. The feasibility of incorporating the optimum oleogels herein developed in specific food applications (spreadable creams, margarine alternatives, chocolate fillings) will be assessed in order to replace trans- and saturated fat, while increasing unsaturated fatty acids oxidative stability and lipophilic bioactive molecules protection.