Ultrasonic standing waves as a new tool for improved oleogels

Project Information

ULTRA-OLEO

Grant agreement ID: 836071

DOI

10.3030/836071

Project closed

EC signature date 9 April 2019

Start date 1 September 2020

End date 31 August 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 202 680,96

EU contribution

€ 202 680,96

Coordinated by

HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Finland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ULTRA-OLEO (Ultrasonic standing waves as a new tool for improved oleogels)

Reporting period: 2020-09-01 to 2022-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Oleogels are lipid-based materials that contain 85–99.5% of liquid oil with the remainder consisting of structuring molecules called oleogelators. They were introduced as substitutes for saturated and hydrogenated fats to fight the adverse effects of non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and eventual onset of obesity caused by excessive fat consumption in the diet. NCDs affect billions of adults and millions of children. The annual healthcare costs related to treating diseases caused by/related to obesity is 60 billion euro in Europe and 210 billion dollars in USA. Oleogels can be used to reduce NCD outbreaks by substituting saturated fats. Unfortunately, oleogel storage instability currently impedes these materials from becoming the “fat of the future”. Much effort has been directed to explore strategies to improve oleogel performance such as formulation and processing. The proposed strategies are unable to precisely control the forming crystal network and can also lead to oxidized oleogels. To obtain oleogels with long storage stability it is necessary to carefully control the forming crystalline network without inducing adverse effects such as oxidation. To this aim, the ULTRA-OLEO project developed a new, economic, and environmentally friendly technology that can modify the structure of oleogels to prolong oleogel storage stability, by bringing together food science, acoustic physics and engineering. To create such a technology, we developed a treatment chamber, and validated and optimized the treatment of monoglyceride-containing oleogel. To identify the effect of the treatments, we studied nano and microstructure, mechanical properties, oil retention ability. The outcome of this project is a technology that can direct the crystallization process and that can orient lipid crystals into controllable shapes/patterns which then results in tailorable mechanical properties and stability of oleogels. This achievement brings the use of oleogels a step further in foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The ULTRA-OLEO project developed an effective technology for mechanical-structural manipulation of oleogels in volumes up to 100 mL, paving way for ultrasonic standing wave treatments of large-scale lipid-based materials. The first part of the project designed and developed three different experimental chambers. Through computer simulations and experimental work, the final chamber design that allowed extraction of sonicated samples with little to no damage was developed. The internal structure of the treated oleogel was imaged and the formation of band-like structures was used as feedback for successful development of chambers. Following, the effect of process parameters on oleogel formation was examined by analyzing the mechanical properties of treated oleogels through uniaxial-compression, oscillatory rheological measurements, and acoustic microscopy. The results revealed that treated oleogels present different mechanical properties compared to untreated samples, and ultrasound treatment led to the formation of locally responsive mechanical structures. Mechanical changes can be linked to the ability of oleogel to retain their large oil fraction, which in turn indicates the stability of oleogels after treatment. To understand the stability of oleogels after ultrasonic treatment, an automated method to determine oil release based on automated image analysis was developed in-house. This analysis demonstrated that the oil release of treated oleogels depends significantly on the process parameters and under certain processes conditions it can be reduced, leading to more stable oleogels. Finally, to elucidate the micro- and nanostructure of oleogels after ultrasonic standing wave treatment, microfocused X-ray beam scanning was performed at the Diamond synchrotron facility (UK). The analysis seemed to indicate that lipid crystals in oleogels after treatment have a modified orientation compared to the untreated samples and the effect appears to be dependent on the concentration of the gelator used.
The results obtained during the ULTRA-OLEO project were disseminated in two conferences (Edible Soft Matter, The Netherlands; Nordic LipidForum, online, invited talk), during an invited lecture (LipidForum Academy, Norway), and were pitched during YScience 2021 and Slush (big international startup conference in Helsinki, Finland). Both events gather scientists and investors from all over the world, giving a global exposure to the project and results obtained. After the project was concluded, the results were further disseminated at two conferences (International Ultrasonics Symposium, Italy; Food Structure and Functionality Symposium, Ireland). At the Food Structure and Functionality Symposium, the results obtained in the ULTRA-OLEO project together with results of other projects, allowed me to obtain the 2022 Young Scientist Award (sponsored by Elsevier). Currently, I am exploiting the potential commercialization of the technology obtained in the ULTRA-OLEO project as a part of a research-to-business project that I am leading.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Oleogels are a potential replacer for solid fats since they combine properties of healthy liquid oils with the functionalities and structure of solid fats. However, improving oleogels so that they can be used as a universal fat replacer is challenging. A possible way to achieve such a goal is to use ultrasonic standing waves. I was the first researcher to introduce ultrasonic standing waves (USW) for the control of forming crystals in oleogels, and more generally, to the lipid crystallization field. Thanks to the ULTRA-OLEO project, I pushed the possibility to apply oleogels a step further by tailoring their mechanical properties and stability. This can speed up the substitution of saturated and hydrogenated fats in food products, leading to health promoting foods. Substituting saturated and hydrogenated fats with oleogels can help reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases, improving physical and mental well-being of consumers, and consequently reducing on the long run health care costs. In addition, the ULTRA-OLEO project enabled the development of improved oleogels which could be applicable in different products and lead to more sustainable lipid-based foods. This is because solid fats are usually extracted from tropical plants and then transported worldwide. In addition, oleogels need no chemical derivatization which can generate additional waste materials, oleogel structuring molecules can be obtained from side products such as waxes or from renewable resources like cellulose, and finally, oleogels can be prepared in situ with local oils without the need for transportation unlike tropical oils.
My research is currently generating interest from investors because of its commercial potential. I envision that this technology will in the future generate new workplaces, attracting skilled people from all over the world. Additionally, oleogels can help valorize/increase the use of local Finnish bioresources, such as rapeseed oil, and increase the economic value of industrial side-streams (e.g. vegetable waxes), as these materials are used as ingredients in oleogels.

ULTRA-OLEO project idea