Preparation of oleogels based on carnauba wax and vegetable oils and characterization of physicochemical properties by low and high resolution NMR

• Grant number: 24/03278-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Alberto Colnago
• Grantee: Yuri Fahl Santos
• Host Institution: Embrapa Instrumentação Agropecuária. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA). Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Brasil). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The triacylglycerols (TAGs) that make up vegetable oils have a high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids (cis) and are therefore liquid at room temperature [1]. This limits their applications in domestic and industrial cooking, since these oils are highly susceptible to oxidation and high temperatures and, for example, do not produce crispy foods. An alternative widely used in the past was the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils, which led to an increase in the concentration of saturated fatty acids in TAGs, which are solid at room temperature [1]. However, this process also causes isomerization of double bonds leading to trans fatty acids that are linked to an increased risk of several cardiovascular diseases [2].A solution that has gained prominence for obtaining solid fats, even with a high content of vegetable oils rich in cis unsaturated fatty acids, is oleogelation. In the oleogelation process, a vegetable oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids is mixed with a natural wax such as carnauba or beeswax (around 10%) giving rise to a solid product at room temperature. That is, without a high concentration of saturated fatty acids or trans fatty acids [3]. The present project aims to prepare oleogels from vegetable oils and carnauba wax in various concentrations and investigate their physicochemical properties using low and high resolution NMR, in addition to other physical methods such as X-ray diffraction, DSC, among others.