Propriedades térmicas e texturais de oleogéis a base de óleo de amêndoa de macaúba

Abstract

A new technology that has been showing potential for being used as substitutes of trans fatty acids in food is based in structured oils made by oils with high fusion points, forming oleogels, that has the advantage of using oils with less modifications, maintaining their original compositions with high levels of unsaturated fatty acid, low levels of saturated acids and no trans fat. As the production of oleogels does not requires the using of modified oils, the virgins oils can be used, as the Macaúba oil. The Macaúba kernel oil is rich in saturated fatty acids with medium and long chain, and lauric acid and oleic acid are the most abundant of them, having a high oxidative stability and bioactive substances as carotenoids and tocopherols. By that, the main objective of this work was evaluate the thermal and textural properties of oleogels based in Macaúba oil using beeswax and stearic acid as structuring agents. The oleogels were prepared using Macaúba oil in different concentration (2%, 5% e 10%) and proportions (1:3; 1:1; 3:1) of structuring agents. A quality phase diagram was used to evaluate the thermal behavior, which indicated the samples prepared with stearic acid required higher concentrations to form the solid oleogel. The texture was evaluated by firmness, observing the oleogels elaborated with beeswax had higher results of firmness when compared with stearic acid oleogels. Noted yet that beeswax had a synergic effect in fusion temperature and firmness of the oleogels when mixed with stearic acid and used as structuring agents. It was possible to conclude that beeswax had a higher structuring power than stearic acid in formation of oleogels based by Macaúba kernel oil. The oleogels samples can be used as substitutes for chemically modified fats, after being done more studies about the applicability and viability of these oleogels in each product.