Development of Bigels as Solid Fat Alternative for Cookies

Öz

Rising consumer demand for healthier, plant-based foods drives the need for alternatives to solid fats like butter and margarine in bakery products, which are high in saturated and trans fats linked to cardiovascular disease. This research explores the development of hybrid gels, or bigels, as a novel substitute. Bigels combine a palm oil-based oleogel, structured with beeswax, with various hydrogels (κ-carrageenan, carboxymethylcellulose, or sodium alginate) to create a biphasic system with a favorable fatty acid profile. The study utilized a factorial completely randomized design to investigate the effects of the type of hydrogel polymer and the oleogel:hydrogel ratio (50:50, 80:20) on the bigels' physical, chemical, and thermal properties. The optimized bigels were then incorporated into cookie formulations at 30% (w/w) to replace conventional solid fat. The resulting cookies were evaluated for moisture content, dimensional changes, color, texture, microstructure, and sensory acceptance by untrained panelists. Results showed that formulation significantly impacted bigel characteristics. The κ-carrageenan-based bigel at a 50:50 ratio (K50) exhibited superior thermal stability (decomposition temperature 154.00°C) and a homogeneous, cohesive microstructure, baking into cookie with favorable sensory acceptance for taste, texture, and overall preference. Conversely, CMC-based bigels demonstrated poor thermal stability and weak texture profiles, leading to inferior cookie quality. Notably, the alginate-based bigel with an 80:20 ratio (A80) produced cookie with a remarkable 93.33% increase in thickness, significantly higher than margarine-based cookie (11.11%), indicating exceptional aerating capacity. Sensory evaluation revealed that cookie with κ-carrageenan bigels (K50, K80) and the high-oleogel CMC bigel (C80) received the highest acceptability scores. The study concludes that bigel technology, particularly using κ-carrageenan, offers a promising clean-label strategy to structure liquid palm oil into functional solid fats, successfully producing cookies with tailored textures and high consumer acceptability, thereby providing a viable alternative to traditional high-saturated fat shortenings.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Bigels
• Cookie
• Hydrogel
• Oleogel
• Palm oil

Destekleyen Kurum

Directorate of Learning and Student Affairs under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology

Etik Beyan

There is no need to obtain permission from the ethics committee for this study.

Teşekkür

We would like to thank the Directorate of Learning and Student Affairs under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia for the funding provided through the Student Creativity Program (Contract number, 068/E2/PPK/SPPK/PKM/2025).

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