Influence of stearic acid to soy lecithin ratios on structural, technological and bio‐functional characteristics of rice bran, mustard and virgin coconut oil‐based oleogels

Abstract

SummaryOleogelation is a novel method for effectively lowering trans and saturated fats without compromising composition or consumer acceptance, making them a safe and environmentally benign technique for future industrial applications. Oleogel development takes into account the industry's need for shortening and spread substitutes to create nutritionally enhanced products with limited trans and saturated fat. The oleogels were developed using different combinations of stearic acid (SA) to soy lecithin (SL) ratios (7:3; 5:5; and 7:5) at 25% w/w to structure rice bran oil (RBO), virgin coconut oil (VCO) and mustard oil (MO) individually. X‐ray diffraction and confocal laser microscopy were used to examine the crystal morphology of oleogels. The characterisation of developed oleogels was done using temperature‐sweep test, texture profile, oil loss and gel strength. Additionally, FT‐IR and GC‐FID were used to evaluate chemical characteristics. The study discovered that the firmness and gel strength of all the oleogels rose with an increase in SA:SL. However, at the same level and composition of oleogelators, RBO‐based oleogels were the firmest in comparison to VCO‐ and MO‐based oleogels, owing to the different chemical composition of oil medium.