Tenebrio molitor oil as an alternative in the formulation of bigels

• Grant number: 24/10162-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Henrique Fasolin
• Grantee: Thiago Hernandes Perez
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Bigels are complex two-phase systems composed of both organic and aqueous gelled phases. These gels can act as texture modifiers in foods and vehicles for hydrophilic and lipophilic bioactive compounds simultaneously. However, the variety of edible oils that has been explored in the development of these systems is scarce, been mainly related to vegetable oils. Oils from insects can be a viable alternative, as they are easy to produce and have a high concentration of polyunsaturated lipids, which are related to health benefits. In this study, bigels will be produced with gellan (1% w/v) and Tenebrio molitor oil + glycerol monostearate. The concentration of glycerol monostearate will be evaluated in the formation of the oleogel phase between 2% and 10% (w/v). Hydrogel:olegoel ratio will be also investigated. The bigels will be produced from the hydrogel and oleogel phases previoulsy gelled. The resulting bigels will be characterized in relation to their physicochemical and thermal properties. To do so, they will be subjected to optical microscopy, rheology, mechanical properties and differential scanning calorimetry analyses.