3^rd European Food Chemistry and Drug Safety Congress

Biography

Biography: Begoña Giménez

Abstract

Organogelation is one of the most novel and promising techniques for edible oil structuring. Oleogels have been widely used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic area as drug delivery matrices, but their application in food matrices is scarce. These systems may be a promising option for the fat replacing in food matrices and controlled delivery of lipophilic bioactive molecules in the small intestine, with low water solubility and high chemical instability. In this study, flaxseed oil based oleogels were designed, using beeswax as organogelator, as vehicle for the oral delivery of curcumin, the active principle of turmeric. The oxidative stability of oleogel and the potential bioaccessibility of curcumin during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion were evaluated. Optimal curcumin (0.54%) and beeswax (9.12%) concentrations in the oleogel were determined according to a statistical design. The mechanical strength and oil binding capacity of oleogels obtained under optimal conditions were 20.5 ± 0.4 N and 90 ± 1.2%, respectively. The incorporation of curcumin in the lipid matrix significantly increased the oxidative stability of the flaxseed oleogel evaluated by rancimat (protection factor 1.43 h). Although curcumin did not show any effect on the hydroperoxide formation, it significantly decreased the formation of malonaldehyde, suggesting its antioxidant role during the propagation step of lipid oxidation. The oil structuring decreased the extent of lipolysis and allowed a slow release of curcumin from the oleogel to the mixed micellar phase, showing that these oleogels could be used as vehicles for the controlled release of curcumin in food applications.