Edible Nanoparticles Used to Transform Healthy Oils Into Gel for Healthier, Shelf-Stable Fat for Cooking

Associate professor Yangchao Luo from UConn's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is utilizing an innovative emulsification process to develop healthier and shelf-stable fat for food manufacturing.

The old saying that oil and water don't mix is not completely accurate. While it is true that the two compounds are not naturally combined, turning them into one final product is possible, a Phys.org report said. All it takes is an ingredient known as the emulsifier, which is typically used in the food industry.

Luo is currently working with something known as HIPEs or high internal phase Pickering emulsions. A high internal phase means the mixture is at least 75 percent oil. Pickering emulsions, on the other hand, are those that are stabilized by solid particles.

Past studies about Pickering emulsions have focused on non-edible particles, although Luo is interested in taking HIPEs to the food industry as a substitute for trans and saturated fats.

Incorporating Healthier Fats

The new approach could significantly affect how food is produced and make it simpler for food manufacturers to incorporate healthier fats.

A lot of processed food is loaded with saturated fat and transfats for flavor, as well as an extension of the shelf life of a product.

Eating these fats can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, LDL cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes.

Not all fats, though, are considered bad enough. People need fat in their diet to back the cellular function, and healthy substitutes such as avocado, sunflower, and olive oils exist.

Moreover, saturated fat and trans fat are solid when at room temperature. This means that an appropriate replacement would also need to be solid.

Nanoparticles to Transform Healthy Oils Into Gels

Healthy oils, as specified in the study published in Food Hydrocolloids, are liquid at room temperature. Luo is solving this challenge by employing edible nanoparticles to transform the said oils into gels.

He has been working on incorporating healthy oils such as soybean, avocado, or sunflower oil with water and nanoparticles to develop edible HIPEs.

In addition, the nanoparticles used by Luo to develop his emulsion comes from food sources such as egg yolks, milk protein, and soy protein. Once the oil becomes stabilized, it turns into a gel-like block.

Explaining his creation, Luo, a member of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, said, the cool thing is "we have food-grade, edible nanoparticles in this system."

He added that they are trying to extract and purify those nanoparticles from the food, then reuse them in this emulsion structure type so they can offer maximized nutrition benefits and food quantity to consumers.

Balance Between Oil and Nanoparticles

The nanoparticles the developer works with should be extractable from the food source minus the use of "inedible chemical solvents," a similar Bioengineer.org report said.

They need to be digestible, as well, not to mention, have an extremely uniform structure. The latter is crucial to guarantee that they will coat the oil molecules totally so the gel can form. Or else, it may be very liquid to simulate the texture of trans and saturated fats.

Luo is testing the emulsions for flowability, or the how liquid against solid is. He is working on striking the proper balance between oil and stabilizing nanoparticles.

On top of the inherent health benefits of substituting trans and saturated fats with healthier choices, Luo said researchers could also add nutrients to HIPEs.

Such a development could also have applications for precision nutrition since both oil and water contents are tunable to fortify fat- and water-soluble nutrients in a single food product.

The professor also said that they are hoping in the near future that they can make this by 3D printing and putting together different nutrients so they can personalize the product for different populations.

Related information about saturated and trans fat is shown on Study Force's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Nanoparticles in Science Times.