Novel production routes for the fabrication of tailor-made, crystalline, self-structuring oleogels for functional food and pharmaceutical applications

Descripción del proyecto

Reducir la grasa alimentaria sin comprometer sus funciones

Una dieta rica en grasas no es saludable, pero las grasas cumplen funciones importantes, como ayudar al organismo a absorber vitaminas importantes. La reducción de las grasas saturadas e insaturadas en los alimentos se enfrenta a la falta de sustitutos adecuados o de procesos que preserven las propiedades funcionales de las grasas. Los oleogeles son una alternativa prometedora a las grasas puras, pero su uso está limitado por obstáculos normativos, tecnológicos y ambientales. El equipo del proyecto NewOilFactory, financiado por el Consejo Europeo de Investigación, pretende superar los obstáculos actuales con procesos de fabricación innovadores para producir oleogeles cristalinos. Estos geles se fabricarán a partir de aceites líquidos sostenibles sin utilizar ácidos grasos hidrogenados ni costosos gelificantes en condiciones de procesado suaves.

Objetivo

One out of five deaths in the EU in 2017 were linked to unhealthy diets and it is estimated that 53% of the EU population is overweight or obese, creating an unsustainable burden on national sanitary systems. Overconsumption of fats, particularly saturated ones, is one of the main causes of obesity; hence promoting diets that are lower in fats is essential. One strategy could be the reformulation of fatty foods with a lower amount of both saturated and total fats. However, this is challenging as fats provide characteristic functional properties that are hard to replicate with different ingredients. The use of oleogels to replace pure fats is a valuable option to solve this difficult task. Oleogels are materials with a reduced content of saturated fatty acids, achieved via the structuring of a liquid oil with a gelator agent. They can be further processed to obtain more complex food ingredients with reduced calories and interesting organoleptic properties (oleocolloids). The application of oleogels is still limited due to several regulatory, technological and environmental limitations. Building on the knowledge gained from the ERC StG grant CryForm, NewOilFactory aims at overcoming these limitations by developing novel manufacturing processes for the production of crystalline oleogels made from sustainable liquid oils, without using hydrogenated fatty acids or expensive gelling agents, and following the mild-processing paradigm. As part of the project these processes will be tested at laboratory scale, optimized using engineering simulation tools and validated in terms of scale-up feasibility, as well as economic and environmental sustainability. In parallel, an evaluation of their market potential and a competitive analysis will be performed. A knowledge transfer strategy including patenting, licensing and the creation of a consultancy start-up for further research and co-development with industrial partners will also be established.