The antioxidant effect of natural and synthetic derived ingredients in oleogels based on ethyl cellulose and monoglyceride

Ethyl cellulose (EC) oleogels are commonly susceptible to oxidation due to the high temperatures to which they are subjected during their elaboration process (i.e., to gelator solubilization). To prevent system degradation because of these conditions the use of an antioxidant is necessary. In this Chapter are described methodologies and results of a study carried out to verify the effectiveness of three commercial antioxidants, ascorbyl palmitate (AP), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and tert-butylhydroxyquinone (TBHQ), on the parameters of primary and secondary oxidation of EC with monoglyceride (MG) as cogelator. The methodology used was based on the analysis to obtain the peroxide index by volumetry and the determination of p-anisidine index by UV-vis spectroscopy. The results indicated that when the systems were completely solubilized (i.e., 140°C) was the indicated point to add the antoxidants to achieve their best activity. All the antioxidants acted favorably against peroxide and secondary oxidation for 10 days, maintaining the values under the limits established by international regulations. However, a pro-oxidant effect was observed with all, except TBHQ, which upheld the total oxidation with similar values for 10 days, even in the safflower oil control. These results permitted us to suggest that TBHQ is the best antioxidant reagent that can be used in EC-MG oleogel development. © 2024 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

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