High-intensity Ultrasound Application Research Articles

Immunomodulatory activity of ovotransferrin-chlorogenic acid complexes enhanced by high-intensity ultrasound (HIU): A structure-function relationship study

This study investigated the impact of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) treatment on the physiochemical, conformational, and immunomodulatory activity of the OVT-CA complex, emphasizing the structure-function relationship. HIU treatment reduced particle size, improved dispersion, and increased electronegativity of the complex. It facilitated binding between OVT and CA, achieving a maximum degree of 45.22 mg/g CA grafting and reducing interaction time from 2 h to 15 min. HIU-induced cavitation and shear promoted the exposure of -SH and unfolding of OVT, leading to increased surface hydrophobicity of the complex and transformation of its structure from β-sheet to α-helix. Additionally, CA binds to OVT in the C-lobe region, and HIU treatment modulates the intermolecular forces governing the complex formation, particularly by reinforcing hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and introducing electrostatic interactions. Furthermore, HIU treatment increased the immunomodulatory activity of the complex, which was attributed to complex structural changes facilitating enhanced cell membrane affinity, antigen recognition, and B-cell epitope availability. Hierarchical cluster and Pearson correlation analysis confirmed that HIU treatment duration had a greater impact than power on both the structure and activity of the complex, and an optimal HIU treatment duration within 30 min was found to be crucial for activity enhancement. Moreover, structural changes, including ζ-potential, particle size/turbidity, and surface hydrophobicity, were closely correlated with immunomodulatory activity. This study highlights the potential application of HIU in developing protein–polyphenol immunomodulatory agents for public health and food nutrition.

Emerging high intensity ultrasound for soymilk in boosting bioactivity, amino acids release, reducing anti-nutritional factors and allergenicity

The study aimed to enhance soya milk's bioactivity, amino acid release, digestibility and reduce anti-nutritional factors via high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) 600W. Results demonstrated a substantial increase in the hydroxyl scavenging activity by 44%, a 41% improvement in DPPH, and 36% in ABTS. The amounts of AA released in treated samples were 1061.41 μmol/g, 1297.51 μmol/g, 1768.89 μmol/g, and 2014.23 μmol/g of protein at 0, 5, 10, and 15 min. Moreover, SDS PAGE unveiled a substantial decrease in the depth of bands corresponding to anti-nutritional and allergic proteins in the HIU-treated samples. Additionally, anti-nutritional factors (ANF) analysis demonstrated notable reductions in ANF content. The inhibition rates were 50%, 34%, 57%, 42% and 45% for phytic acid, trypsin inhibitor lipoxygenase, β-conglycinin and glycinin respectively with 15 min HIU application. In addition, in vitro digestion experiments showcased a substantial 21% increase in the digestibility with the applied method as well.

The Application of High-Intensity Ultrasound on Wet-Dry Combined Aged Pork Loin Induces Physicochemical and Oxidative Alterations.

This research investigated the synergic outcome of high intensity ultrasound (HIU) treatment and wet-dry combined aging (WDCA) on physiochemical characteristics and lipid oxidation during refrigerated storage to ameliorate pork meat's quality and shelf life. The CIE b* values, cooking loss (CL %), and pH of the HIU treated samples were higher than those of the control over the aging period. They were significantly (p<0.05) modified by the aging period and ultrasound (US) treatment. However, the released water (RW %) and moisture were not significantly influenced by US treatment (p>0.05). The Warner-Bratzler shear force of HIU-treated samples was lower over control values except in 7-14 d, and it showed a significant difference between control and US treatment according to the significance of HIU (p<0.05). The thiobarbituric acid reactive substance of HIU-treated samples was significantly higher (p<0.05) than control values over the aging period. These results suggested that HIU treatment and WDCA showed a synergistic effect of maximizing the tenderness, but lipid oxidation was higher than before ultrasonic treatment. In agreement with this, the most favorable approach would involve implementing wet aging for a period of two weeks followed by dry aging for a period not exceeding one week after the application of HIU.

Effect of packaging thickness and muscle type on ultrasound-assisted beef quality

High-intensity ultrasound (HIU) can modify muscle structure, leading to improvements in tenderness. However, factors such as packing type and muscle complexity may attenuate the acoustic cavitation. In this research, the effect of packing thickness (40.6–70 μm) on the quality of bovine Gluteus medius and Biceps femoris treated with HIU (37 kHz, 90 W/cm2, 40 min) was evaluated. The hardness of G. medius decreased significantly as the thickness of the packing bag decreased. The wide interfibrillar and intermyofibrillar spaces corroborated the tenderizing effect. These effects are related to damage of cell structure and changes in the collagen content (3.37 ± 0.1 µg/mL). In addition, the HIU decrease the variability in the water holding capacity of the muscle produced by the use of low thickness bags during storage. The trained sensory panel described the sonicated samples in 50.8 μm bags as less hard and juicier. Contrarily, in B. femoris no significant effects were reported in the variables evaluated. B. femoris is a white muscle, with a high amount of collagen (3.59 ± 0.1 µg/mL) and little intramuscular fat. Consequently, the effect of the HIU on muscle quality is associated with the composition of the muscle fibers and the thickness of the packing bag. HIU application is recommended to improve the quality of leg muscles whenever low-thickness bags (50.8 μm or less) are used.

Sequential Processing Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide and High-Intensity Ultrasound in Sunflower Protein Flour Production: Nutritional Value, Microstructure, and Technological Functionality

Sunflowers are among the world’s most widely cultivated oilseeds with an interesting nutritional composition. A biomass composed mainly of carbohydrates, fibers, and proteins is generated from sunflower oil production. In this context, the objective of this study was to investigate the application of emerging technologies to sunflower biomass to obtain an edible protein-rich flour with the potential to be exploited in the food industry. The effects of the optimized conditions for the sequential processing of sunflower meal using supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) and high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) were investigated. The protein structure was preserved even after the application of HIUS to the flour as verified through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the electrophoresis curves. The fact that the HIUS treatment did not modify the protein structure demonstrates that this emerging technology could be incorporated into the processing chain of this new food ingredient (sunflower flour) without promoting damage to the nutritional value of the product regarding its protein content. At a pH of 7.0, the flour showed only 30% solubility, and HIUS application improved both the formation and the stability of the emulsion when compared to the other samples. The preliminary evaluation of cell viability (caco2 cells) showed its protective potential against reactive oxygen species. Therefore, the flour resulting from the green processes presented the potential to be employed as an ingredient in the food industry, presenting a technological and nutritional potential when considering its chemical composition. In addition to the novel edible flour, the phenolic compounds obtained a present potential as a functional ingredient to be incorporated into foods.

Application of High-Intensity Ultrasound on Acerola (Malpighia emarginata) Juice Supplemented with Fructooligosaccharides and Its Effects on Vitamins, Phenolics, Carotenoids, and Antioxidant Capacity

Acerola is considered a superfruit, rich in vitamin C, phenolics, and carotenoids, and having a high antioxidant capacity. However, it is poor in oligosaccharides. Ultrasound technology can improve the bioavailability of several bioactive compounds, improving the nutritional content of several fruit juices. This work evaluated the use of ultrasound processing on acerola juice supplemented with fructooligosaccharides (FOS; 1% w/w) and its effects on the availability of vitamins, carotenoids, and phenolic content. The antioxidant capacity of the juice was correlated with its bioactive contents. The study evaluated the effects of important sonication parameters, such as ultrasonic power density, processing time, and processing temperature. The application of ultrasound was efficient in increasing the availability of some vitamins. As a result, ultrasound application increased the availability of vitamins B1, B3, B5, C, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds. This improvement increased the antioxidant activity of the FOS-enriched acerola juice.

Structural, dielectric and piezoelectric characterization of BFN-modified PZT-based (MPB) ceramics

ABSTRACT The solid solution of xBi(Fe1/3Nb2/3)O3–(1-x)Pb(Zr0.50Ti0.50)O3 ceramics near morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) (BFN–PZT, x = 0, 0.0025, 0.005, 0.0075, 0.01) were prepared by conventional solid-state reaction method. The samples added with different Bi2O3, Fe2O3, Nb2O5 contents were compared in terms of the phase structure, microstructure, dielectric properties, and piezoelectric properties. In particular, rhombohedral-tetragonal morphotropic phase boundary was observed in BFN–PZT crystal structure near the composition of x = 0.005. The BFN–PZT ceramics exhibited the following optimal properties at x = 0.005: dielectric constant ϵr of 847, dielectric loss tanδ of 0.034, Curie temperature TC of 390°C, electrical conductivity σ of 0.441 (Mohm.m)−1, piezoelectric charge constant d33 of 416 pC/N, electromechanical coupling factor KP of 0.654, and mechanical quality factor Qm of 426, making it a promising material for use in high-intensity ultrasound applications.

Effect of Novel High-Intensity Ultrasound Technique on Physio-Chemical, Sensory Attributes, and Microstructure of Bovine Semitendinosus Muscle.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) application on meat quality traits, sensory parameters, and the microstructure of semitendinosus muscle from Hanwoo cattle. The samples were treated in an ultrasonic bath (35 kHz) at an intensity of 800 W/cm2 for 60 min, followed by aging at 1°C for 0, 3, and 7 days. The application of ultrasound resulted in lower Warner-Bratzler shear force and higher myofibrillar fragmentation index values during the storage period. HIU also enhanced the tenderness, flavor, umami, and overall acceptability of cooked beef muscle. However, the electronic tongue evaluation results showed higher umami values in the control treatment on the seventh day of storage. The microstructure of sonicated meat showed disorganized myofibrillar architecture and swelling in the A-band region of sarcomeres during the storage period, which led to greater meat tenderness. The heatmap illustrated the high abundance of α-linolenic acid (C20:5n3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (C18:3n3) in sonicated meat samples on the third day of the storage. These results showed that HIU is a potential method for tenderizing and improving the sensory attributes of beef without compromising other quality aspects.

High‐intensity ultrasound reduces fermentation time and improves textural properties, antioxidant activity and probiotic survival in fermented probiotic strawberry drink

SummaryThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of high‐intensity ultrasound (HIUS) application with different processing times (2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 min) on the physicochemical, rheological and textural properties, antioxidant activity (AA) and probiotic survival in strawberry‐flavoured fermented probiotic strawberry drink during storage (7°C for 28 days). The application of HIUS resulted in products with lower fermentation times, higher organic acid stability during storage and improved texture (higher firmness and consistency) and functional properties (higher phenolic compounds content and/or AA). Using 2.5 min of processing time would be advisable due to the better probiotic survival to simulated gastrointestinal conditions (probiotic counts higher than 106 CFU mL−1), reduced fermentation times (reduction in 3 h), higher lactic acid content during storage and enhanced AA. The products showed a viable probiotic counts higher than 106 CFU mL−1 during the entire shelf life. HIUS may be considered as an adequate pre‐treatment in the development of probiotic fermented probiotic strawberry drink.

Integrated multivariate analysis as a tool to evaluate effects of ultrasound on beef quality

AbstractAn important controversy in the effect of high‐intensity ultrasound (HIU) on beef physicochemical properties exists among studies. This study aimed to analyze physicochemical data from several experiments in order to determine the most effective HIU treatment for the quality improvement of meat. Multivariate analysis was used to define the main effects attributed to the application of HIU, packaging, and storage of beef. A data set containing 104 individual records of color parameters (L*, a*, b*, C* and Hue*), drip loss, water‐holding capacity, and shear force from beef muscles under different treatments (HIU, packaging, storage) was constructed. All the evaluated variables presented changes by the effect of the treatments. The cluster analysis in the MANOVA analysis showed the formation of 12 groups with significant differences (p &lt; .05) among them. Each variable had an important role in explaining the data, and all variables should be considered in future studies about the HIU effect on meat quality. Multivariate analysis indicated that beef sonicated at 16–28 W/cm2 for 20–40 min and packed in modified atmosphere had the best physicochemical quality. This study confirmed the efficacy of multivariate statistical techniques in assessing the quality of beef and in indicating the HIU parameters associated with the technological quality of the product.Practical applicationsHIU as an alternative processing technique to conventional methods of beef preservation is considered a green emerging technology. The application of HIU to beef is effective for improving the technological quality of fresh and processed beef. Multivariate data analysis as a complementary discipline in meat processing can generate useful results to make decisions on the equipment design and the application of ultrasound for enhancing the beef technological quality and shelf life, benefiting to the meat industry.

High‐intensity ultrasound treatment to produce and preserve the quality of fresh‐cut kiwifruit

In this study, high intensity ultrasound (HIU), antibrowning chemicals (calcium chloride and ascorbic acid), water bath were used to avoid the browning of kiwifruit pieces, and the shelf-life of fresh-cut was measured (two weeks). The treated fresh-cut kiwi samples were evaluated in terms of color, enzyme activities, bioactive compounds, microbial and sensory studies. The study shown that HIU treatment restricted (p<0.05) the microbial growth (bacteria, yeats & mold) in fresh-cut kiwi samples at 4 °C. Moreover, kiwi samples exposed to HIU exhibited significant (p<0.05) enhancements in bioactive metabolites as well as improvements in the physical features with the comparison of all other applications. Similarly, the lowest browning index (BI) values were observed for kiwifruit samples by HIU at the end of storage (180.04). Furthermore, the lowest scores for decay (0.5/3.0 and 0.9/3.0 in days 7 and 14, respectively) and off-odor (1/7 and 2/7 in days 7 and 14, respectively) were determined for the fresh-cut kiwifruit subjected to HIU. It has been proposed that HIU application is a possible choice to take the place of chemical and physical approaches to extend the product life and maintain quality characteristics in fresh-cut kiwifruit at cold storage conditions.

The Physicochemical, Microbiological, and Structural Changes in Beef Are Dependent on the Ultrasound System, Time, and One-Side Exposition.

The effect of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) system (bath, 37 kHz and 90 W/cm2; or probe, 24 kHz and 400 W) and application time (25 or 50 min, one-side exposition) on the properties of bovine Longissimus lumborum after 7 d of storage at 4 °C was studied. The bath system significantly increased the lightness of the muscle, while other color parameters (a*, b*, hue, and chroma) were not different from the control. The water holding capacity and shear force decreased significantly (3.1–5% and 0.59–0.72 kgf, respectively) in sonicated meat independently of the system, favoring the tenderization of the muscle after storage. Microstructural changes observed in the HIU-exposed surface provided evidence of a higher area of interfibrillar spaces (1813 vs. 705 µm2 in the control), producing tenderization of the muscle, compared with the control. HIU significantly increased counts of total aerobic and coliform bacteria, especially after 50 min of ultrasonication. HIU also increased lactic acid bacterial counts in the bath system. Single-sided muscle exposition to ultrasound may produce sufficient significant changes in muscle properties, which could decrease long treatment times that would be needed for the exposition of both sides. HIU in bath systems increases tenderness by modifying meat ultrastructure, with no significant changes in physicochemical parameters. Nevertheless, microbiological quality may need to be considered during the process due to a slight increase in bacterial counts.

High‐intensity ultrasound as a pre‐treatment of pork sub‐primals for further processing of meat

AbstractThe effect of high‐intensity ultrasound (HIU) on technological and consumer acceptance of whole pork leg sub‐primals was evaluated. Sub‐primals (‘inside’, ‘knuckle’, ‘inner shank’, ‘eye of round’ and ‘shank off’) were processed following standard industrial pork processing for deboned legs in Mexico. They were allocated to one of the three treatments; HIU (22 W/cm2 and 37 kHz) for 0, 10 or 30 min. Sub‐primals were injected (10% w/v NaCl), tumbled and ultrasonicated. After 15 d of freezing storage, sub‐primals were thawed following common industrial practice. HIU increased the pH and water‐holding capacity and reduced fluid losses after thawing up to 50% (P &lt; 0.05). Meat colour was not affected by HIU, but it significantly reduced shear force (P &lt; 0.001). HIU slightly decreased the consumer preference and acceptance due to a saltier perception. Nevertheless, HIU application offered a clear advantage with positive effects on technological properties of pork for further processing.

Analysis of the simultaneous measurement of acoustic phase velocity and stress-strain relationship in beef: An approach to Young's modulus

Ultrasound is a tool that has two fields of study and application. On the one hand, the characterization of materials by means of low intensity ultrasound (LIU) and on the other, the modification of materials by applying high intensity ultrasound (HIU). In the last decades ultrasound has been applied in the food industry. The LIU is primarily applied as an evaluation system to determine the quality of food. In the meat industry, medical ultrasound has been used to check the status of meat postmortem. In some cases, also, acoustic properties such as acoustic phase velocity (APV) and attenuation are determined, which is a way of predicting the texture of the meat, where the nature and strain of the samples can modify the results of the velocity values acoustic phase. However, there is no precise information on how the strain of the sample could affect the measurements. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of sample strain (%), muscle (Longissimus thoracis, LT; Longissimus lumborum, LL and Psoas major, PM) and high intensity ultrasound (HIU, 0 or 90 W/cm2) application on LIU-APV [c, m/s] measures. The factors mentioned above significantly (P < 0.05) affected LIU-APV with no interaction effect. APV is related to meat texture, muscles considered as tender resulted in lower phase velocity. However, a better relation was observed with characteristic acoustic impedance (Z) and stress. Additionally, HIU pretreatment resulted in LIU-APV decrease of ≅ 41.6 m/s. Finally, sample strain affected LIU measures with an inverse trend, the lowest LIU-APV values were found at 40% sample deformation with a 10% of APV decrease ≅ 149 m/s. LIU contact conditions should be standardized to a level where the air in the sample and the ultrasonic sensor coupling can move without causing irreversible damage to the meat sample, ultrasonic gel is commonly used, in order to couple the tissue and sensor impedances.

Acoustic fields of acid suspensions containing cassava bagasse: Influence of physical properties on acoustic attenuation

The effects produced by high-intensity ultrasound application during the acid pretreatment of biomass can enhance its later conversion into bioethanol. Therefore, it is interesting to evaluate how residues, such as cassava bagasse (CB), affect the actual acoustic field applied and, thus, the magnitude of its effects. For this, calorimetric method was used to estimate acoustic energy and the efficiency of electric-acoustic energy conversion in acid suspensions containing different CB concentrations (2–10%). Tests were carried out under different input powers, from 160 to 400 W (24 kHz), at different distances (1.5–5.5 cm) from the sonotrode. Thus, the experimental acoustic intensity measured varied from 12.90 to 68.57 W·cm−2, the highest values being registered in the suspensions with the lowest CB content (65.55–36.81% of conversion yield close to the sonotrode). Attenuation was also addressed during sound wave propagation, finding a constant value of 0.021 cm−1. Polynomial models were well fitted to acoustic parameters and acoustic intensity exhibited a high correlation (r>0.87 and pvalue ≤ 0.05) with the experimental thermophysical properties of the suspensions.

High‐Intensity Ultrasound‐Induced Crystallization of Mango Kernel Fat

AbstractThe crystallization behavior of mango kernel fat (MKF) at 25 °C with and without the application of high‐intensity ultrasound (HIU) (20 kHz, 125 W) was studied as a function of ultrasound amplitude level (30%, 50%, and 70% of the maximum amplitude of 180 μm). The irradiation period was fixed at 5 s. It was found that HIU induced MKF crystallization. The crystallization induction time decreased with a decrease in crystal size and an increase in the number of crystals as the HIU amplitude increased. The β' → β transformation was also accelerated with HIU application. This work has shown that there is great potential for the use of HIU in the food industry to achieve a shorter and more controllable crystallization process. In particular, HIU could be used as an efficient tool for controlling the polymorphic transition of fats.

Effect of storage time on physical properties of sonocrystallized all‐purpose shortening

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) on the physical properties of an all-purpose shortening and to evaluate how these properties changed during storage (48 hr; 4, 12, and 24 weeks) at 5 °C and 25 °C. Samples were crystallized at 30 °C for 60min with and without the application of HIU (20kHz; 3.2mm-diameter tip, 168µm amplitude, 10 s). After crystallization, physical properties, such as hardness, elasticity, melting behavior, and solid fat content (SFC), were measured. These properties were also measured during storage. The effect of HIU was significant in changing the SFC, hardness, G' and G'', melting enthalpy, and microstructure of the samples. After 60min of crystallization, the sonicated samples had higher values of SFC, hardness, elasticity, and melting enthalpy than the ones obtained without sonication (P <0.05). Changes in these physical properties were associated with the microstructure of the samples since sonication generated smaller, more uniformly sized crystals as well as increased the number of crystals. No differences were observed in the G' of the sonicated samples stored at 25 °C as a function of storage period. The G' of the nonsonicated samples increased until 12 weeks of storage and was maintained up to 24 weeks, suggesting that sonication speed up the formation of a stable crystalline network. Samples stored at 5 °C showed higher value in hardness, G' and G'', and SFC than the ones stored at 25 °C. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: High-intensity ultrasound (HIU) has been widely used as an additional tool to change the crystallization behavior in various lipids; however, the long-term storage effect of HIU has not been studied before. This research evaluates the effect of HIU on the physical properties of a palm-based shortening stored up to 24 weeks at two different temperatures (25 and 5 °C). The application of HIU may help increase the stability of lipid during storage.

Enabling Microparticle Imprinting to Achieve Penetration and Local Endurance in the Peritoneum via High-Intensity Ultrasound (HIUS) for the Treatment of Peritoneal Metastasis.

Introduction Micro- and nanoparticles, with their submicron size, the versatility of physical and chemical properties, and easily modifiable surface, are uniquely positioned to bypass the body's clearing systems. Nonetheless, two main problems with micro- and nanoparticles arise which limit the intraperitoneal application. The study was performed to evaluate whether HIUS enables the imprinting of microparticles and, therefore, enhances penetration and local endurance in the peritoneum. Methods High-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) at 20 kilohertz with an output power of 70 W was applied on peritoneal tissue samples from fresh postmortem swine for different time intervals. Before the HIUS application, the surface of the samples was covered with strontium aluminate microparticles before analysis via electron microscopy. In-tissue strontium aluminate penetration and particle distribution size were measured using fluorescence microscopy on frozen thin sections. Results With increasing HIUS durations (1 versus 5 minutes), increasing strontium aluminate particles were detected in the peritoneum. HIUS leads to a particle selection process with enhancing predominantly the penetration of smaller particles whereas larger particles had a harder time penetrating the peritoneum. Smaller particles were detected up to 277 µm ± 86 µm into the peritoneum. Conclusion Our data indicate that HIUS might be used as a method to prepare the peritoneal tissue for micro- and nanoparticles. Higher tissue penetration rates without the increase and longer local endurance of the applied substance could be reached. More studies need to be performed to analyze the effect of HIUS in enhancing intraperitoneal drug applications.

Preparing the peritoneal surface for intraperitoneal chemotherapy using high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS): Investigation of technical feasibility, safety and possible limitations.

e16045 Background: The penetration of chemotherapeutic drugs into metastatic peritoneal nodules remains at levels well below 1 mm, thus significantly limiting the antitumor effect of intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IPC). Recently, high-Intensity ultrasound (HIUS) has been discovered as a potential tool to improve peritoneal diffusion rates. Despite promising preliminary data, basic aspects regarding its technical feasibility, safety and possible limitations remain unclear. This study aims to enhance our current understanding of HIUS and test its applicability using an ex-vivo swine model. Methods: Three postmortem swine were subject to laparotomy with consecutive lavage with 0.9%NaCl saline and HIUS application. For this purpose, a large HIUS radiating pen was introduced into the abdominal cavity and HIUS was applied on two of the four abdominal quadrants for 300 seconds each at an output power of 70 W, 50 % amplitude and 20 kHz frequency. Following the procedure, small intestinal tissue samples were removed for further analyses. Results: In all specimen, peritoneal and subperitoneal layers showed structural changes only visible on a microscopic level. The peritoneal layer was transformed into a mash-like structure while the subperitoneal layer (depth of 142 +/- 28 µm) exhibited microcavities and vascular detachment from surrounding tissues. No bowel rupture or vascular perforations were observed. Conclusions: Our data indicate that HIUS is a technically feasible add-on procedure for IPC with measurable microscopic changes on the peritoneal surface and no apparent bowel toxicity. Pretreatment of the abdominal cavity with HIUS could significantly improve IPC efficacy. Further studies are required to optimize and evaluate this novel approach.

Tailoring physical properties of monoglycerides oleogels using high-intensity ultrasound

The effects of high-intensity ultrasound application (HIU-20 kHz, 96 W, 3 pulses: 10 s on/5s off) and cooling rate (0.1 and 10 °C/min) on physical properties of monoglycerides (MG) oleogels (3, 4.5, and 6 wt%) were evaluated. Oleogels melting profile, rheological and textural properties, crystal microstructure, crystal length (Lc), polymorphic behavior, oil binding capacity (OBC), and solid fat content (SFC) were determined after 24 h of storage at 5 or 25 °C. HIU caused significant changes in the MG crystallization behavior, producing a decrease in Lc and a stronger and more elastic network with higher OBC. HIU increased the adhesiveness of all samples whereas did not affect their cohesiveness. The effects of HIU application were enhanced by cooling at 0.1 °C/min and storing at 5 °C. Neither SFC nor thermal behavior were affected by HIU and the desired β' polymorphism was obtained in all oleogels. This study shows that physical properties of MG oleogels can be significantly improved by HIU application to obtain suitable fats with low level of saturated fatty acids for food applications.