Emulsions as delivery systems of unsaturated lipids: oxidative stability and applications

The formulation of healthier and functional foods sometimes implies the incorporation of bioactive compounds, and therefore the design and development of technological strategies to facilitate an adequate integration of the new substances into the final product. In the present work, the formulation of emulsions as new delivery systems was proposed, aiming to obtain complex and stable ingredients for food applications. In this sense, the use of hydrophilic polymers (carrageenan) allowed to obtain both multiple emulsions and gelled emulsions for food use, and able to deliver unsaturated fatty acids in the formulation of healthier foods. Furthermore, the incorporation of antioxidant plant extracts (Melissa officinalis, Fucus vesiculosus and Lavandula latifolia) were used to increase the oxidative stability of the emulsion systems studied in this work (conventional, multiple and gelled emulsions). Among the systems studied, a gelled emulsion was selected to be used as fat replacer in fresh and cooked meat products, resulting in technologically feasible and sensory acceptable products. Moreover, the reformulated meat products showed a healthier lipid profile, lower fat and cholesterol content and lower energy value. These nutritional characteristics allowed to establish, in some of the developed formulations, nutrition and health claims according to the current European legislation