Sunflower seed oil-linseed oil composite oil gel and preparation method and application thereof

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of food processing, and particularly relates to a sunflower seed oil-linseed oil composite oil gel and a preparation method and application thereof. The present application uses monoglyceride and edible wax components such as beeswax and Brazil palm wax as composite gel factors, adjusts the types of vegetable oils, selects a mixture of sunflower seed oil and linseed oil as a vegetable oil phase, and obtains a sunflower seed oil-linseed oil composite oil gel. By further regulating the ratio of sunflower seed oil and linseed oil, the hardness, elasticity, antioxidant property and stability of the composite oil gel are improved. When the ratio of sunflower seed oil to linseed oil is 1:1, the antioxidant property of the composite oil gel is improved by 25% compared with the oil gel prepared from single sunflower seed oil. This improvement further improves the application performance of the composite oil gel in the food and health care fields, such as chocolate, ice cream, mayonnaise and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of food processing technology, and specifically relates to a sunflower seed oil-flaxseed oil composite oleogel, its preparation method and application. Background Technology

[0002] Oil gels are a type of semi-solid lipid material that uses liquid vegetable oil as a continuous phase and forms a three-dimensional network structure through the self-assembly of gelling factors to solidify the oil. They combine the processing characteristics of solid fats with the health advantages of liquid vegetable oils and have broad application prospects in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. They have also been extensively studied.

[0003] At present, there are many types of vegetable oils that have been disclosed for the preparation of oleogels, including soybean oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, rapeseed oil, and palm oil. Due to the different fatty acid compositions of different vegetable oils, the storage stability of different vegetable oil-based oleogels varies significantly during storage and processing. The overall performance of the oleogels obtained after being compounded with different gelling agents is also completely different.

[0004] Building upon existing research, improving the selection of vegetable oils in oleogels and their synergistic effects with specific gelling factors to enhance the overall performance of oleogels, including their antioxidant properties, is of great significance for improving the storage stability of oleogels in the food industry and expanding their application scope. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the above-mentioned technical problems, this invention proposes a sunflower seed oil-flaxseed oil composite oleogel, its preparation method, and its application.

[0006] This invention uses monoglycerides and edible waxes such as beeswax or carnauba wax as composite gelling agents. By adjusting the type of vegetable oil, a mixture of sunflower seed oil and flaxseed oil is selected as the vegetable oil phase to obtain a sunflower seed oil-flaxseed oil composite oil gel. By controlling the ratio of sunflower seed oil to flaxseed oil, the hardness, elasticity, antioxidant properties, and stability of the composite oil gel are improved. The resulting composite oil gel can be used as a slow-release material to encapsulate fat-soluble or poorly stable components such as β-carotene and curcumin, exhibiting good slow-release and storage stability effects. In addition, it can also be used in the manufacturing and processing of foods such as chocolate and ice cream.

[0007] The technical solution provided by this invention is as follows:

[0008] A sunflower seed oil-flaxseed oil composite oil gel, wherein the composite oil gel is made by adding monoglycerides and edible wax as composite gelling agents to vegetable oil; wherein the vegetable oil is a mixture of sunflower seed oil and flaxseed oil, and the mass ratio of sunflower seed oil to flaxseed oil in the vegetable oil is 2~3:2~3.

[0009] In the composite oleogel provided by the present invention, preferably, the mass ratio of sunflower seed oil to flaxseed oil in the vegetable oil is 1:1.

[0010] Preferably, the mass of the composite gelling factor is 5% to 6% of the mass of the vegetable oil.

[0011] Preferably, the edible wax is selected from any one of beeswax, candelilla wax, and carnauba wax, and the mass ratio of monoglyceride to edible wax is 1 to 5:1.

[0012] As a further preferred option, the edible wax is selected from either beeswax or carnauba wax.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention also provides the application of the composite oleogel prepared by the above method in food and health products. Preferably, the food is selected from any one of chocolate, ice cream, and mayonnaise.

[0014] This invention also provides a composite oleogel loaded with β-carotene, wherein β-carotene is encapsulated in the composite oleogel as described above, and the composite oleogel loaded with β-carotene is prepared by the following method:

[0015] A mixture of monoglycerides and edible waxes was used as a composite gelling agent. It was added to a vegetable oil mixture of sunflower seed oil and flaxseed oil in equal mass ratio. The mixture was stirred evenly at 80-90°C until the composite gelling agent was completely dissolved in the vegetable oil. Then, β-carotene powder was added. The mixture was kept in the dark and stirred at a constant temperature of 50-70°C until the β-carotene powder was completely dissolved. The mixture was then cooled at 25-35°C to form a gel.

[0016] The mass ratio of monoglyceride to edible wax is 1~5:1, and the edible wax is selected from any one of beeswax, carnauba wax, and candelilla wax; the composite gelling factor accounts for 6% of the mass of the vegetable oil, and the β-carotene powder accounts for 0.01%~0.2% of the mass of the system.

[0017] In addition, the present invention also provides a compound oil gel-based chocolate, comprising the aforementioned compound oil gel, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, icing sugar, and soy lecithin. By weight, the compound oil gel-based chocolate comprises: 15-25 parts of compound oil gel, 19-21 parts of cocoa butter, 6-13 parts of cocoa powder, 48-50 parts of icing sugar, and 0.2-1 parts of lecithin.

[0018] Preferably, the compound oleogloss-based chocolate comprises, by weight: 20 parts compound oleogloss, 20 parts cocoa butter, 10 parts cocoa powder, 49.5 parts icing sugar, and 0.5 parts lecithin.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment, the preparation method of the composite oleogel-based chocolate includes the following steps: first, heating cocoa butter at 60~80℃ until melted, adding cocoa powder, icing sugar, and soy lecithin, and stirring until uniform; then, adding composite oleogel and stirring until uniform; tempering the chocolate at three stages: 51℃, 28℃, and 33℃; and finally, pouring the molten chocolate into a mold and cooling it to obtain the final product.

[0020] The present invention has the following advantages and effects compared with the prior art:

[0021] This invention uses monoglycerides and edible waxes such as beeswax and carnauba wax as composite gelling agents. By adding vegetable oils and adjusting the types and ratios of the vegetable oils, the quality of the composite oleogel is improved. Experimental results show that when the mass ratio of sunflower seed oil to flaxseed oil is 50:50, the resulting composite oleogel exhibits the best antioxidant effect. At the same time, the composite oleogel also significantly improves the encapsulation effect of β-carotene and the delivery effect of active functional ingredients. In addition, the application performance of the obtained composite oleogel in food products such as chocolate, ice cream, and mayonnaise is further improved. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 These are schematic diagrams showing the appearance of different types of composite oleogels provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 The oil holding properties (A)~(C) and peroxide values ​​(D)~(F) of various composite oleogels prepared in Example 1 of this invention are shown.

[0024] Figure 3 The anisidine values ​​(A) to (C) and malondialdehyde content (D) to (F) of various composite oleogels prepared in Example 1 of this invention are shown.

[0025] Figure 4 The total oxidation value (A)~(C) and acid value (D)~(F) of the various composite oleogels prepared in Example 1 of this invention are shown.

[0026] Figure 5 The graphs show the textural properties of various composite oleogels prepared in Example 1 of this invention.

[0027] Figure 6 The rheological property curves of various composite oleogels prepared in Example 1 of the present invention are shown.

[0028] Figure 7 The graph shows the free fatty acid release rate, β-carotene release rate, and β-carotene utilization rate of the composite oleogel loaded with β-carotene prepared in Example 2 of this invention during a simulated in vitro digestion stage.

[0029] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing the textural properties of different oleogel-based composite chocolates in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 9 This is a graph showing the hardness changes of different oleogel-based composite chocolates stored at different temperatures in Example 3 of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing the appearance of the monoglyceride oleogel in Comparative Example 1 of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 11 This is a graph showing the oil-holding capacity and oxidation-related indicators of the monoglyceride oleogel in Comparative Example 1 of this invention;

[0033] Figure 12 This is a diagram showing the encapsulation and release effect of monoglyceride oleogel on β-carotene in Comparative Example 1 of this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the present invention will now be further described in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] A sunflower seed oil-flaxseed oil composite oleogel is prepared using the following method:

[0037] Mixtures of monoglycerides and beeswax (monoglycerides:beeswax = 5:1, w / w), mixtures of monoglycerides and candelilla wax (monoglycerides:candelilla wax = 5:1, w / w), and mixtures of monoglycerides and carnauba wax (monoglycerides:carnauba wax = 5:1, w / w) were weighed separately as composite gelling agents and added to a mixture of sunflower seed oil and flaxseed oil (mass ratios of sunflower seed oil to flaxseed oil were 100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 20:80, and 0:100, respectively). The mixture was stirred evenly in a constant temperature water bath at 85℃ for 30 min. After the composite gelling agent was completely dissolved in the vegetable oil, it was cooled in a constant temperature incubator at 30℃ for 48 h to form a gel and stored in a refrigerator at 4℃ for later use.

[0038] The appearance of composite oleogels prepared by compounding different composite gelling agents with different types and proportions of vegetable oils is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1In the figures, (a) is a monoglyceride-beeswax oil gel, (b) is a monoglyceride-candelilla wax oil gel, and (c) is a monoglyceride-carnauba wax oil gel. From left to right, the mass ratios of sunflower seed oil to flaxseed oil in each image are 100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80, 0:100, and 50:50, respectively. This means that the proportions of sunflower seed oil in the plant oil phase system are 100% (100SO₄), 80% (80SO₄-20LO), 60% (60SO₄-40LO), 40% (40SO₄-60LO), 20% (20SO₄-80LO), 0% (100LO), and 50% (50SO₄-50LO). As can be seen from the figure, when the amount of the composite gelling agent added accounts for 6% of the total composite oleogel system, all composite oleogel samples are in a gel state.

[0039] The oil-binding ability and oxidative stability of the various composite oleogels prepared in this embodiment were verified, and the results are as follows: Figures 2-4 As shown.

[0040] Figure 2 From left to right, the oil holding capacity (A)~(C) and peroxide value (D)~(F) of monoglyceride-beeswax oil gel, monoglyceride-candelilla wax oil gel, and monoglyceride-carnauba wax oil gel are shown respectively. Figure 3 From left to right, the anisidine values ​​(A) to (C) and malondialdehyde contents (D) to (F) of monoglyceride-beeswax oil gel, monoglyceride-candelilla wax oil gel, and monoglyceride-carnauba wax oil gel are shown respectively. Figure 4 The total oxidation value (A)~(C) and acid value (D)~(F) of monoglyceride-beeswax oil gel, monoglyceride-candelilla wax oil gel, and monoglyceride-carnauba wax oil gel are shown from left to right.

[0041] Figures 2-4 The results showed that the composite oleogel prepared using 100% sunflower seed oil had the highest oil retention rate, and the oil retention rate of the composite oleogel decreased with the decrease of sunflower seed oil content. Among them, the composite oleogel prepared with monoglyceride-beeswax as the composite gelling agent had the best oil binding ability, with the highest oil retention rate of 98.18%, which was 0.86% higher than the oil retention rate of monoglyceride-carnauba wax oil gel (97.32%) and 1.33% higher than the oil retention rate of monoglyceride-carnauba wax oil gel (96.85%).

[0042] Furthermore, after storage at 40℃ for 14 days, the peroxide value, anisidine value, malondialdehyde value, total oxidation value, and acid value of each composite oleogels showed a decreasing trend with increasing flaxseed oil content. However, when the mass ratio of sunflower seed oil to flaxseed oil was 50:50, the growth rate of each parameter was significantly lower than that of the pure sunflower seed oil system. This indicates that the addition of flaxseed oil in a specific ratio significantly improved the antioxidant properties of the sunflower seed oil composite oleogels. Among them, the monoglyceride-beeswax oleogels exhibited the best antioxidant effect, followed by the monoglyceride-carnauba wax oleogels. The main reason for this phenomenon is inseparable from the structural characteristics of edible waxes themselves. Because beeswax is rich in long-chain esters and a certain amount of polar fatty acids and fatty alcohols, its high polarity allows it to form more polar microdomains within the oil phase, thereby enhancing the adsorption or complexation of pro-oxidative factors such as metal ions and peroxide precursors, and reducing the rate of free radical generation. Meanwhile, beeswax crystallizes to form small, layered, and highly regular crystal clusters. These crystals can construct a more stable interfacial microenvironment in the oil phase, keeping lipid molecules in a lower energy level and reducing the probability of them being activated and participating in primary oxidation reactions. Although carnauba wax is also rich in high-melting-point esters, its polar component content is lower than that of beeswax. At the same time, its crystal structure is larger and tends to be rigid, and its interfacial regulation ability is weaker than that of beeswax. Therefore, it can only moderately slow down the oxidation reaction, resulting in an intermediate level of peroxide value. Candelilla wax, on the other hand, is dominated by a high proportion of long-chain hydrocarbons and has almost no polarity, making it difficult to adsorb pro-oxidative factors. Its crystal structure is also simpler and less regular, failing to effectively stabilize the lipid microenvironment. This leads to a greater likelihood of free radical generation and lipid oxidation, resulting in the highest peroxide value.

[0043] In addition, although flaxseed oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and is theoretically more prone to oxidation, the oxidative stability of the oleogel system is not only determined by the degree of fatty acid unsaturation, but also controlled by the oxygen diffusion pathway and the limiting effect of the crystal network. The dense crystal network can reduce the migration rate of oxygen molecules, thereby delaying the free radical chain reaction.

[0044] Figure 5The textural properties of each composite oleogels are shown. (A)~(C), (D)~(F), and (G)~(I) represent the textural properties of monoglyceride-beeswax, monoglyceride-candelilla wax, and monoglyceride-carnauba wax oleogels, respectively. From left to right, each figure represents hardness, elasticity, and cohesiveness. As can be seen from the figures, the monoglyceride-beeswax oleogels exhibit a unique nonlinear trend of first increasing and then decreasing, with hardness reaching its maximum at 50SO-50LO, a stark contrast to the linear or stepwise decreasing trends of the other two groups. The monoglyceride-candelilla wax oleogels have a moderate hardness, and its curve with oil phase change is relatively flat, indicating that this composite framework has good physical insensitivity to changes in solvent polarity. The monoglyceride-carnauba wax oleogels exhibit an absolutely leading hardness level. With increasing linseed oil content, the hardness decreases stepwise, but it still maintains strong structural rigidity in the pure linseed oil system. This is because carnauba wax is rich in high-melting-point monoesters and higher alcohols. During cooling, carnauba wax first nucleates and forms fine heterogeneous crystal nuclei, inducing monoglyceride molecules to grow in an orderly manner on its surface, thereby constructing a three-dimensional network with extremely high fractal dimension and cross-linking point density. This powerful heterogeneous nucleation synergistic effect enables it to effectively resist the dilution effect of highly polar linseed oil. In summary, with sunflower seed oil accounting for 50% of the vegetable oil phase, monoglyceride-carnauba wax oil gel is an ideal choice for high-hardness, high-thermal-stability oils; monoglyceride-beeswax oil gel exhibits excellent structural plasticity, achieving a textural performance superior to 100% sunflower seed oil without increasing gelling agent costs; and monoglyceride-candelilla wax oil gel is suitable for scenarios requiring extremely high consistency in texture during processing.

[0045] The elasticity of all three oleogels did not decrease linearly with increasing flaxseed oil content. On the contrary, they all showed increased elasticity after the addition of a small amount of flaxseed oil, followed by a gradual decline in elasticity. The monoglyceride-carnauba wax oil gel exhibited the highest elasticity, demonstrating excellent structural resilience. The monoglyceride-beeswax oil gel showed moderate elasticity, while the monoglyceride-candelilla wax oil gel showed the lowest and most stable elasticity. Overall, when the flaxseed oil content exceeded 60%, the elasticity of all systems decreased significantly. The monoglyceride-carnauba wax oil gel exhibited the best physical properties at a 60% sunflower oil content.

[0046] Figure 6 The rheological properties of each composite oleogels are shown. Among them, (A) to (C) are the frequency scan, apparent viscosity, and temperature scan curves of the monoglyceride-beeswax composite oleogels, respectively; (D) to (F) are the frequency scan, apparent viscosity, and temperature scan curves of the monoglyceride-candelilla wax composite oleogels, respectively; and (G) to (I) are the frequency scan, apparent viscosity, and temperature scan curves of the monoglyceride-carnauba wax composite oleogels, respectively.

[0047] As shown in the figure, under all systems and all oil phase ratios, G' is significantly higher than the loss modulus G'', and G' has minimal dependence on frequency. This indicates that the combination of monoglycerides with the three waxes successfully constructs a three-dimensional physical cross-linked network with good mechanical strength. Among them, the monoglyceride-carnauba wax composite oleogel has the highest G' value, showing the strongest linear viscoelastic response and network rigidity. At the same time, it has the highest initial viscosity at low shear rates, showing the strongest resistance to deformation. During the heating process, the monoglyceride-carnauba wax composite oleogel also exhibits the strongest heat resistance, thus making it the best solution for developing heat-resistant oils. The monoglyceride-beeswax composite oleogel has the lowest G' value and the lowest initial viscosity, exhibiting semi-solid characteristics closer to a fluid, making it suitable for products requiring good oral solubility.

[0048] Example 2

[0049] This embodiment is only an example of one aspect of the application of the composite oleogel prepared in Example 1 above. The purpose is to use the composite oleogel as an embedding agent to achieve the protection and delivery of drug components that are photosensitive, easily decomposed, have poor stability, are fat-soluble (such as curcumin, β-carotene, etc.) or other drug components.

[0050] This embodiment uses β-carotene as an example for illustration.

[0051] A composite oleogel loaded with β-carotene was prepared using the following method:

[0052] Weigh out the following mixtures as composite gelling agents: a mixture of monoglycerides and beeswax (monoglycerides: beeswax = 5:1, w / w), a mixture of monoglycerides and carnauba wax (monoglycerides: carnauba wax = 5:1, w / w), and a mixture of monoglycerides and candelilla wax (monoglycerides: candelilla wax = 5:1, w / w). Add these mixtures to a mixture of sunflower seed oil and flaxseed oil (sunflower seed oil: flaxseed oil = 50:50, w / w). Stir the mixture evenly in an 85°C water bath for 30 min until the composite gelling agents are completely dissolved. Then add 0.1% (w / w) of β-carotene powder from the total weight of the system. Stir the mixture evenly in a 60°C water bath for 10 min under light-protected conditions until the β-carotene powder is completely dissolved. Cool the mixture in a 30°C incubator for 48 h to form a gel. Store the gel in a 4°C refrigerator for later use.

[0053] Figure 7The study showed the free fatty acid release rate, β-carotene release rate, and β-carotene utilization rate of composite oleogels with different β-carotene loadings during simulated in vitro digestion. Among them, Oil Blend was a mixture of sunflower seed oil and flaxseed oil, MG-BW was a monoglyceride-beeswax composite oleogel, MG-CLW was a monoglyceride-candelilla wax composite oleogel, and MG-CW was a monoglyceride-carnauba wax composite oleogel.

[0054] As shown in the figure, although the three oleogels differ in structural stability, they all exhibited lower release rates than the liquid oil (Oil Blend group) in the oral cavity stage (around 0-10 min). Similarly, since the gastric stage (10-130 min) does not yet possess the key conditions for forming mixed micelles, the β-carotene release efficiency of the three composite oleogels and liquid oil was generally low. The small intestine stage (130-250 min), with its sufficient lipid hydrolysis and micelle formation capabilities, became the key stage determining the release differences among the three oleogels. In simulated oral and gastric digestion stages, the bioavailability of β-carotene in all three composite oleogel samples and the sunflower seed oil and flaxseed oil mixture was less than 10%. In the simulated oral digestion stage, the β-carotene bioavailability of the sunflower seed oil and flaxseed oil mixture was higher than that of the other three composite oleogels. In the simulated small intestinal digestion stage, a large amount of β-carotene was released and absorbed by the small intestine. The β-carotene bioavailability of the monoglyceride-beeswax composite oleogel reached 84.73%, the monoglyceride-carnauba wax composite oleogel was 84.39%, and the monoglyceride-candelilla wax composite oleogel was 83.35%, which were 26.66%, 26.32%, and 25.28% higher than that of the sunflower seed oil and flaxseed oil mixture (58.07%), respectively.

[0055] This may be because monoglyceride-beeswax oil gels typically form a relatively loose, easily disintegrating crystalline network. Under the action of gastric acid, bile salts, and pancreatic lipase, they can rapidly disintegrate into fine oil droplets, significantly enhancing the lipase's interaction interface and generating more lipolysis products. This increases the formation of mixed micelles, allowing β-carotene to migrate more effectively to the micelle phase, resulting in the highest bioavailability. In contrast, the monoglyceride-carnauba wax composite oil gel has a denser network structure but still exhibits some disintegration. Its lipid hydrolysis and micelle formation capabilities are superior to the more robust and difficult-to-disintegrate monoglyceride-candelilla wax composite oil gel, thus its bioavailability is at an intermediate level. The bioavailability of all three composite oil gels in the oral cavity is lower than that of liquid oils, mainly because the oral cavity lacks key factors for forming absorbable micelles, such as bile salts, phospholipids, and pancreatic lipase. Even if a small amount of pigment is released, it is difficult to dissolve into the physiologically significant absorbable phase; at the same time, the gel network further restricts pigment diffusion, resulting in even lower bioavailability. Similarly, in the stomach, due to the lack of an effective micelle system, the migration efficiency of β-carotene to soluble carriers is generally low. Only in the small intestine, with sufficient conditions for lipid hydrolysis and micellization, is the impact of the differences in the three types of olegel network structures on micelle formation efficiency amplified, thus determining the significant differences in their bioavailability.

[0056] The results above show that when using composite oleogels to deliver bioactive components, the monoglyceride-beeswax composite oleogel is more suitable than the other two composite oleogels.

[0057] Example 3

[0058] This embodiment is only an example of one aspect of the application of the composite oleogel prepared in Example 1 above. The purpose is to use the composite oleogel as an additive ingredient in foods such as chocolate, ice cream, and jam.

[0059] This embodiment uses the preparation of chocolate as an example for illustration.

[0060] A composite oleogloss-based chocolate is prepared using the following method:

[0061] First, the cocoa butter was heated to melt in a 70°C constant temperature water bath. Then, cocoa powder, icing sugar, and soy lecithin were added and stirred for 2 hours until homogeneous. Next, oil gels (monoglyceride oil gel, monoglyceride-beeswax, monoglyceride-candelilla wax, and monoglyceride-carnauba wax oil gel) were added and stirred for 1 hour until homogeneous. Second, to ensure the texture and taste of the chocolate sample, the chocolate was tempered at three stages: 51°C, 28°C, and 33°C. Finally, the molten chocolate was poured into a mold and cooled at 4°C for 6 hours before being removed for use.

[0062] Texture properties of different compound oleogel-based chocolates, such as Figure 8 As shown in the figure, 100CB is 100% cocoa butter chocolate, 50MG-50CB is chocolate with a monoglyceride oil gel:cocoa butter ratio of 1:1, 50MGBW-50CB is chocolate with a monoglyceride-beeswax oil gel:cocoa butter ratio of 1:1, 50MGCW-50CB is chocolate with a monoglyceride-candelilla wax oil gel:cocoa butter ratio of 1:1, and 50MGCLW-50CB is chocolate with a monoglyceride-carnauba wax oil gel:cocoa butter ratio of 1:1.

[0063] Figure 8 It is evident that the monoglyceride-carnauba wax complex oleogloss-based chocolate exhibits significantly higher hardness than the other three groups. Compared to the other three groups, monoglyceride-carnauba wax complex oleogloss is the best alternative to traditional cocoa butter. It not only provides sufficient hardness but also effectively locks in the high flaxseed oil content, preventing oil separation and ensuring the chocolate's shelf-life stability. In contrast, monoglyceride-beeswax complex oleogloss has lower hardness, making it more suitable for developing spreadable chocolates, utilizing its lower hardness to provide excellent spreadability and faster melting in the mouth; furthermore... Figure 8 The rheological curves and temperature scan curves also show that the modulus of the monoglyceride-carnauba wax composite oil gel-based chocolate ensures that it can maintain similar mechanical properties to traditional chocolate even with 50% liquid oil content, exhibiting the strongest structural rigidity. This high modulus is crucial for maintaining the sensory quality of the chocolate. Conversely, the modulus of the monoglyceride-beeswax composite oil gel-based chocolate decreases at the earliest temperature, and the curve shifts generally towards lower temperatures, indicating that its network is most susceptible to thermal damage.

[0064] Under different temperature conditions (4℃, 20℃, 29℃), the hardness of all samples showed a significant increasing trend over 30 days, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the trend tends to level off between 30 and 60 days. Figure 9 The following table shows the hardness variations of chocolate: (A) is 100% cocoa butter chocolate, (B) is monoglyceride oil gel-based complex chocolate, (C) is monoglyceride-beeswax complex oil gel-based complex chocolate, (D) is monoglyceride-candelilla wax complex oil gel-based complex chocolate, and (E) is monoglyceride-carnauba wax complex oil gel-based complex chocolate.

[0065] As shown in the figure, the monoglyceride-carnauba wax composite oleogel-based chocolate maintained the highest hardness at all stages, demonstrating excellent resistance to deformation. Although the monoglyceride-beeswax composite oleogel-based chocolate was relatively stable at 4℃, its hardness increase at 20℃ was less than the other two groups, indicating that its network density was significantly affected by temperature fluctuations. Therefore, the monoglyceride-carnauba wax composite oleogel is the best protectant for this healthy fat chocolate, as it can establish the strongest long-lasting framework at both 4℃ and 20℃, effectively resisting hardness decay during long-term storage.

[0066] Comparative Example 1

[0067] The difference from Example 1 is that only monoglycerides were used as the gelling agent to prepare the oleogel, with monoglycerides accounting for 1% to 6% of the vegetable oil mass. The morphology of the obtained oleogel is as follows: Figure 10 , Figure 10 The proportions of monoglycerides in (a) to (f) are 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, and 6%, respectively.

[0068] The figure shows that when the monoglyceride concentration is 1%, all oleogels prepared from sunflower oil and flaxseed oil mixtures are non-gelatinized. When the monoglyceride concentration is 2%, the oleogels prepared from sunflower oil and flaxseed oil mixtures of 100:0 and 80:20 are gelatinized, while the oleogels prepared from other mixtures are non-gelatinized. When the monoglyceride concentration is ≥3%, all oleogels prepared from sunflower oil and flaxseed oil mixtures are gelatinized. The experimental results indicate that the lower the critical gelling concentration, the stronger the gelling ability of the oleogel. The critical gelling concentration of monoglyceride for oleogel samples prepared from sunflower oil and flaxseed oil mixtures of 100:0 and 80:20 is 2%, while the critical gelling concentration of monoglyceride for oleogel samples prepared from other mixtures is 3%. The oleogel sample prepared from sunflower oil has a stronger oil-binding ability than the oleogel sample prepared from flaxseed oil.

[0069] Table 1. Phase transition temperatures of monoglyceride oleogels MAG 100 0 20.9 MAG 80 20 21.3 MAG 60 40 21.4 MAG 50 50 21.6 MAG 40 60 21.5 MAG 20 80 21.3 MAG 0 100 21.1

[0070] Table 1 shows that different oil phase compositions have a certain impact on the phase transition temperature of monoglyceride oleogel (MG), but the overall change is small, indicating that the thermal stability of the system is generally consistent. The oil phase composition does not change the basic crystallization mechanism of the oleogel. Among them, the most stable monoglyceride three-dimensional network structure is formed near the 50:50 oil phase ratio. This indicates that the oil phase composition mainly affects the crystallization behavior by regulating the unsaturation of fatty acids and molecular mobility, rather than changing the dominant crystallization type of monoglycerides.

[0071] In addition, from Figures 11-12Further analysis of the antioxidant properties of monoglyceride oleogels, the effect of encapsulating β-carotene, and the sustained-release effect shows that the oil-holding capacity of the oleogel increases significantly with the increase of sunflower seed oil proportion. Combined with the oxidative data, it can be concluded that combining flaxseed oil and sunflower seed oil in a 50:50 ratio in the oleogel formulation can not only improve the poor oil-holding capacity of flaxseed oil, but also significantly improve the comprehensive properties of the oleogel, such as antioxidant and elastic properties.

[0072] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the scope of the patent. All equivalent changes and modifications made within the scope of the present invention should still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sunflower seed oil-flaxseed oil composite oleogel, characterized in that, The composite oleogel is made by adding monoglycerides and edible wax as composite gelling agents to vegetable oil; the vegetable oil is a mixture of sunflower seed oil and flaxseed oil, and the mass ratio of sunflower seed oil to flaxseed oil in the vegetable oil is 2~3:2~3.

2. The composite oleogel as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mass ratio of sunflower seed oil to flaxseed oil in the vegetable oil is 1:

1.

3. The composite oleogel as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The added composite gelling factor accounts for 5% to 6% of the mass of the vegetable oil.

4. The composite oleogel as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The edible wax is selected from any one of beeswax, candelilla wax, and carnauba wax, and the mass ratio of monoglyceride to edible wax is 1 to 5:

1.

5. The application of the composite oleogel according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in food and health products, characterized in that, The food is selected from any one of chocolate, ice cream, or mayonnaise.

6. A composite oleogel loaded with β-carotene, characterized in that, β-carotene is encapsulated using the composite oleogel according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the β-carotene-loaded composite oleogel is prepared by the following method: A mixture of monoglycerides and edible waxes was used as a composite gelling agent. It was added to a vegetable oil mixture of sunflower seed oil and flaxseed oil in equal mass ratio. The mixture was stirred evenly at 80-90°C until the composite gelling agent was completely dissolved in the vegetable oil. Then, β-carotene powder was added. The mixture was kept in the dark and stirred at a constant temperature of 50-70°C until the β-carotene powder was completely dissolved. The mixture was then cooled at 25-35°C to form a gel. The mass ratio of monoglyceride to edible wax is 1~5:1, and the edible wax is selected from any one of beeswax, carnauba wax, and candelilla wax; the composite gelling factor accounts for 6% of the mass of the vegetable oil, and the β-carotene powder accounts for 0.01%~0.2% of the mass of the system.

7. A composite oleogloss-based chocolate, characterized in that, The product comprises, by weight, 15-25 parts of the composite oleogel as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, 19-21 parts of cocoa butter, 6-13 parts of cocoa powder, 48-50 parts of icing sugar, and 0.2-1 parts of lecithin.

8. The method for preparing the composite oleogloss-based chocolate as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The steps are as follows: First, heat the cocoa butter at 60~80℃ until melted, then add cocoa powder, icing sugar, and soy lecithin, and stir until evenly mixed. Next, add the compound oil gel and stir until evenly mixed. Temper the chocolate at three stages: 51℃, 28℃, and 33℃. Then, pour the molten chocolate into a mold and let it cool to obtain the final product.

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