Utilization of unsaponifiable matter from rice bran oil fatty acid distillate for preparing an antioxidant-rich oleogel and evaluation of its properties

Rice bran oil fatty acid distillate (RBOFAD) is an important by-product obtained from the physical refining process. This fatty acid distillate contains high a amount of Unsaponifiable Matter (gamma-oryzanol 3.27 gm/100gm UM; total tocopherol 10.93 mg/100 g UM; total phytosterol 21.81 g/100g UM; squalene 1.15 g/100 g UM and total fatty alcohol 73.34 g/100 g UM) and free fatty acids. Antioxidant-rich Oleogels were obtained from rice bran wax (RBW), rice bran oil fatty acid distillate (RBOFAD) and refined rice bran oil. The main objective of this study was to utilize the antioxidant-rich unsaponifiable matter of RBOFAD (UMRBOFAD) as an organogelator along with rice bran wax, which also acts as a good organogelator. Antioxidant-rich oleogel was prepared using UMRBFAD, ethylcellulose (EC) and RBW at 2%, 2%, 3% on weight basis, respectively, in refined rice bran oil and this antioxidant-rich oleogel was compared with rice bran oil oleogel using RBW at 7% on weight basis of rice bran oil. These oleogels were evaluated using a combination of techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized light microscopy (PLM), Viscosity, synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (SR-XRD) and FTIR Spectroscopy. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measured the thermal properties of rice bran oil oleogel and high antioxidant-rich oleogel. Polarized light microscopy images revealed needle-like crystals for RBW. SR-XRD measurements were used for clarification of the crystal structures of the building blocks of these oleogels. The antioxidant activities of oleogels were evaluated involving DPPH and ABTS assays.