Development of carrageenan-based emulsion gel as a xylo-oligosaccharides vehicle transport and its functional properties

Abstract

Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) are prebiotic compounds that promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the intestinal tract and show resistance to enzymatic digestion, which makes them ideal for use as ingredients in healthy foods. This study provides the development of a new prebiotic and antioxidant carrageenan-based emulsion gel (EG) as vehicle to transport XOS obtained from sugarcane bagasse. The EG was developed aiming to future potential application as saturated fat replacement ingredient in food products with added functional properties (antioxidant and prebiotic). The experimental design using a central composite rotational design (CCRD) was used to optimize the formulation of EG aiming to replicate the technological properties of saturated fat. The optimized emulsion gel with xylo-oligosaccharides (OEGX) resisted in vitro digestion and provided probiotic bacterial growth, with nearly 50% of XOS consumption, indicating their prebiotic potential when incorporated into the emulsion. Furthermore, the assessment stability against lipid oxidation processes of OEGX during 30 days of storage at 40°C, confirmed that the presence of XOS in the emulsion delayed considerably the peroxidation process during storage. The results indicate that OXEG represent a promising strategy for the development of functional foods, meeting the growing demand for food products enriched with healthy ingredients.