Fucoidan enhances stability of gelatin/anthocyanin-based oleogels via hydrogen-bonded crosslinking

Polyphenols and edible polysaccharides have emerged as promising crosslinking agents to enhance structural stabilities of protein emulsions and their templated oleogels. To enhance stabilities of gelatin (G) emulsion-based oleogels, three edible polysaccharides and two typical polyphenols were employed to oleogel preparation. Fucoidan (FUC) and flaxseed gum (FG) formed more compact network than sodium alginate, improving three-phase contact of gelatin. Both anthocyanin (ANC) and tea polyphenol (TP) effectively reduced particle size of gelatin emulsion and hardness of their templated oleogels. Among four gelatin-polyphenol-polysaccharide oleogels (G-ANC-FUC, G-ANC-FG, G-TP-FUC and G-TP-FG), G-ANC-FUC exhibited an optimum thermal stability and delayed lipid oxidation. Molecular docking analysis manifested that anthocyanin and fucoidan formed stable three-dimensional network structures with gelatin through hydrogen bonds. Simulated digestion demonstrated that the crosslinking alleviated the contact between oil and digestive enzymes, thus inhibiting free fatty acid release. These findings provide a novel strategy for using ternary oleogels to replace animal fats.