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Polymers
Volume 17
Issue 11
10.3390/polym17111526
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Optimization and Characterization of Crosslinked Chitosan-Based Oleogels Based on Mechanical Properties of Conventional Solid Fats

by
Gabriela Baptista Brito
1,2,
Jorge da Silva Pinho-Jr
2,
André da Silva Guimarães
3,
Carlos Adam Conte-Júnior
1,
Marcio Nele
3,
Daniel Perrone
2,*,† and
Vanessa Naciuk Castelo-Branco
2,*,†
1
Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CT, Bloco A, Cidade Universitária, Av. Athos da Silveira Ramos 149, Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, Brazil
2
Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rua Dr. Mário Viana, 523, Niteroi 24241-000, Brazil
3
Programa de Engenharia Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CT, Bloco G, Cidade Universitária, Av. Horácio Macedo 2030, Rio de Janeiro 21941-914, Brazil
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors share senior authorship.
Polymers 2025, 17(11), 1526; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17111526 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 27 April 2025 / Revised: 23 May 2025 / Accepted: 27 May 2025 / Published: 29 May 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polysaccharides: Synthesis, Properties and Applications)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Industrial trans and saturated fatty acids, which are key components of solid fats used in food products, should be replaced with unsaturated fatty acids from vegetable oils to reduce cardiovascular risk. However, unsaturated oils lack the structured networks required to replicate the technological properties of solid fats. Oleogelation, especially using polymer-based networks, offers a promising solution. This study optimized chitosan-based oleogels crosslinked with vanillin to mimic the texture of butter, partially hydrogenated fat, margarine, and palm fat while minimizing oil loss. Oleogels were prepared via the emulsion-template method and optimized through a central composite design combined with a desirability function, evaluating the effects of chitosan, vanillin, Tween® 60 concentrations, oil type (canola or soybean), and storage temperature (4 °C or 25 °C). Optimized oleogels were characterized for their rheological and microstructural properties. Chitosan concentration primarily governed oil loss, hardness, and adhesiveness of oleogels, independent of the oil phase and storage temperature. However, storage at 4 °C reduced oil loss but increased the hardness and adhesiveness compared to storage at 25 °C. The highest desirability scores (0.72 to 0.94) were achieved in soybean oil oleogels with 0.99% chitosan, 0.24–0.32% vanillin, and 0.17–0.18% Tween® 60, closely mimicking the texture of butter and margarine. These oleogels demonstrated stronger networks, enhanced gel strength, and elasticity, positioning them as viable alternatives to conventional solid fats.
Keywords: emulsion-template; fat replacer; organogel; trans fatty acids emulsion-template; fat replacer; organogel; trans fatty acids

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MDPI and ACS Style

Brito, G.B.; Pinho-Jr, J.d.S.; Guimarães, A.d.S.; Conte-Júnior, C.A.; Nele, M.; Perrone, D.; Castelo-Branco, V.N. Optimization and Characterization of Crosslinked Chitosan-Based Oleogels Based on Mechanical Properties of Conventional Solid Fats. Polymers 2025, 17, 1526. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17111526

AMA Style

Brito GB, Pinho-Jr JdS, Guimarães AdS, Conte-Júnior CA, Nele M, Perrone D, Castelo-Branco VN. Optimization and Characterization of Crosslinked Chitosan-Based Oleogels Based on Mechanical Properties of Conventional Solid Fats. Polymers. 2025; 17(11):1526. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17111526

Chicago/Turabian Style

Brito, Gabriela Baptista, Jorge da Silva Pinho-Jr, André da Silva Guimarães, Carlos Adam Conte-Júnior, Marcio Nele, Daniel Perrone, and Vanessa Naciuk Castelo-Branco. 2025. "Optimization and Characterization of Crosslinked Chitosan-Based Oleogels Based on Mechanical Properties of Conventional Solid Fats" Polymers 17, no. 11: 1526. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17111526

APA Style

Brito, G. B., Pinho-Jr, J. d. S., Guimarães, A. d. S., Conte-Júnior, C. A., Nele, M., Perrone, D., & Castelo-Branco, V. N. (2025). Optimization and Characterization of Crosslinked Chitosan-Based Oleogels Based on Mechanical Properties of Conventional Solid Fats. Polymers, 17(11), 1526. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17111526

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