Development and characterization of hydrogel-in-oleogel (bigel) systems and their application as a butter replacer for bread making.

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Butter has been widely used in bakery products and it contains high level of saturated fats. However, excessive consumption of saturated fats would increase the risk of chronic disease. This study was to fabricate water-in-oil (W/O) type bigels as butter replacers to improve the quality attributes of breads. A stable water-in-oil (W/O) type bigel system was fabricated based on mixed oleogelators (rice bran wax and glycerol monostearate) and sodium alginate hydrogel. The ratios of oleogel to hydrogel could significantly affect the stability, microstructure and rheological properties of bigels. All of the bigels exhibited solid-like properties, with increased oleogel fractions, and the network structure of bigel became more compact and orderly with smaller sodium alginate gel particles. Meanwhile, the viscoelastic modulus and firmness of bigel increased, contributing to a higher stability. The bigel dough exhibited lower gel strength and relatively higher extensibility compared to the butter dough. Regardless of oleogel fractions, all the bigel produced bread with a higher specific volume and softer texture than the butter bread. When the oleogel fractions was less than 80%, increasing the oleogel fractions was more beneficial for improving the specific volume, softness and fluffy structure of bread. W/O type bigel as butter replacers showed great potential in improving the appearance, structure and textural properties of bread. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.