Fish Oil Oleogels with Wax and Fatty Acid Gelators: Effects on Microstructure, Thermal Behaviour, Viscosity, and Oxidative Stability.

Abstract

Encapsulation of fish oil within oleogels can potentially prevent oxidation and enable its use in food with programmable release within the gastrointestinal tract. Here, we report on the formation of oleogels from two different fish oils-salmon oil (SO) and cod liver oil (CLO)-using different concentrations of either rice bran wax (RBW) or myristic acid (MA) as gelators. The gels were assessed with respect to their structural, thermal, viscosity, digestive, and oxidative properties. Polarized light microscopy (POM) revealed that RBW consistently produced dense, interconnected crystalline networks across both oils, while MA formed larger, spherulitic crystals that were more sensitive to the oil type. This was further supported by time-lapse imaging, showing faster crystal growth of MA in cod liver oil. Viscosity studies indicate that the molecular weight and concentration of gelator, as well as the type of fish oil (SO vs. CLO), significantly impact the shear stability of the oleogels. Thermal and viscosity analyses confirmed that RBW-based oleogels exhibited higher crystallization temperatures and stronger viscoelastic behaviour. Based on oxidative stability measurements-as measured by peroxide value (PV) analysis-encapsulation within oleogels does not lead to significant oxidation of the fish oils and also attenuates further oxidation upon storage. The fish oil oleogels were stable when exposed to either simulated gastric or intestinal fluids (SGF and SIF, respectively), but decomposed after sequential exposure first to SGF and then to SIF. These findings could broaden the range of food products which can be fortified with fish oils.