Abstract: Bigels are hybrid systems combining hydrogels and oleogels, offering advantages as stable carriers for bioactives of varying polarities. This dual-phase structure effectively hosts hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds, providing stability and preventing degradation. Carotenoids, powerful antioxidants, are essential lipophilic pigments whose red, orange, and yellow colors add desirable sensory attributes to foods. In this study, we obtained different bigels using three hydrogel:oleogel (H:G) ratios (80:20, 70:30, and 60:40) containing two different types of hydrogels (agar-based (AB) and gelatin-based (GB)) and a typed of oleogel produced using beeswax as oleogelator. Bigels were formulated using pitanga carotenoid extracts (saponified and non-saponified) at 400–800 μg/100 g of bigels. We evaluated the stability of formulated bigels and the pigmentation capacity of pitanga carotenoids on the color of different bigels. All bigels, regardless of the type of hydrogel used, H:O, and concentrations of saponified or non-saponified carotenoids, exhibited homogeneous phases, good gelling stability, excellent physical stability, and absence of phase separation. The carotenoid concentration and saponified versus non-saponified extracts significantly influenced the L∗, a∗, and b∗ parameters. The cross-linking process of bigels appears to influence the L∗, a∗, and b∗ color coordinates more in ABs than in GBs, resulting in darker and less intense red-yellow spectra. The color intensity, represented by chroma (C∗) and hue angle (h°), varied before and after 12 h of cross-linking. Global differences in color ΔE∗ were noticeable, particularly between saponified and non-saponified carotenoids and between different H:O ratios. These findings highlight the importance of the formulation on the color stability and appearance of carotenoid-enriched bigels.
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Author(s): Bruna Vitória Neves, Andrêssa Silva Fernandes, Pricila Nass, Eduardo Jacob-Lopes, Leila Q Zepka, Tatiana Martelli Mazzo, Elson Longo, Anna Rafaela Cavalcante Braga, Veridiana Vera de Rosso
First published: 06/06/2025
