Innovative formulation of oleogels using bioactive compounds and sal starch and characterization of their products

There is a focus on oleogels nowadays with low saturated fatty acids and zero trans fatty acids to substitute solid fats in various food formulations. The other advantage of using oleogels that it can retain the health benefits of the individual oils especially the micronutrients as the processing does not involve high temperature. The present study used a blend of rice bran oil and sesame oil, both the oils are rich in micronutrients, together with starch obtained from sal meal and lecithin as gelling agent to produce oleogels. The novelty of the study includes the use of naturally derived starch moiety from sal meal as gelling agent which otherwise remains unutilized instead of commercially available starch. The gelator concentration was varied from 3-12% and the six oleogels produced were characterized for their suitability as solid fats. Microscopic characteristic, test for gelation, degree of hardness, XRD analysis and storage stability studies were carried out. Results showed that oleogels prepared with 8 and 10% gelator displayed the most desirable properties compared to other oleogels. The gels were kept for three months to study the physical stability also. The retention of micronutrient was also studied. Therefore it could be concluded that a novel oleogel can be formulated with two micronutrient rich edible oils and with gelling agents like sal starch and lecithin.