In this study, anhydrous zein-based oil-in-glycerol emulsion gels were prepared by a medium temperature induction method. The impact of zein and corn oil contents on the formation and structure of emulsion gels was explored. It was found that increasing the content of zein (4%-8%) enhanced the continuous phase network structure and therefore significantly improved the gel strength, increasing the gel hardness from (3.43 ± 0.14) to (8.15 ± 0.13) N, the oil-holding capacity from (97.64 ± 0.21)% to 100%, and the solvent-holding capacity from (84.15 ± 0.38)% to (96.34 ± 1.20)%. The increase in corn oil content (50%-70%) did not significantly change the gel strength, but enhanced the gel viscosity and thixotropic recovery performance. Meanwhile, the gel stability was improved by the tight arrangement of oil droplets, and the gel oil-holding capacity and solvent-holding capacity were maintained at high levels, (95.51 ± 0.56)%-(99.17 ± 0.85)% and (83.29 ± 2.23)%-(93.39 ± 1.01)%, respectively. All formulations formed stable emulsion gels with good temperature response behavior. Our results proved that the gel properties could be regulated by adjusting the contents of zein and corn oil. This study provides a theoretical basis for the practical application of zein-based emulsion gels in foods, improving the comprehensive utilization rate of zein.

In this study, oleogels were prepared with rapeseed oil and coconut oil as oil phase and monoglyceride (MG), beeswax, rice bran wax, carnauba wax or candelilla (CLW) wax as gelling agent, and the effects of different concentrations of gelling agent (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) on the oil-holding capacity, textural properties and rheological properties of oleogels were investigated. The results showed that the oil-holding capacity of the oleogels prepared with 15% and more gelling agent was more than 96%; the melting characteristics of MG were most similar to those of butter, but the textual properties of oleogels prepared with a single gelling agent were not comparable to that of butter. Therefore, mixtures of MG and CLW in different proportions by mass were used to prepare oleogels with 15% oleogels and plant-based patties. The results showed that the oleogel prepared with a 3:7 mixture of MG and CLW was the closest to butter in terms of textural and rheological properties, and the resulting patty had the highest sensory quality, showing that this oleogel has a better potential for use as a fat substitute.