Application of Plant-Based Emulsion Gels in Soft Caramel Technology

Introduction: The relevance of developing recipes for plant-based confectionery products is due to the need to reduce the content of saturated fats and eliminate animal-based components. In the context of increased demand for functional foods, special attention is drawn to emulsion systems that can replace traditional fats while maintaining the dispersed structure and organoleptic properties of the product.

Purpose: To develop a recipe for soft caramel mass using emulsion gels containing sunflower oil encapsulated in hydrocolloid shells based on soy protein isolate and triple polysaccharide complexes.

Materials and Methods: Four variants of polysaccharide complexes were used in the experiment: (A + C + G), (A + C + P), (A + G + P), (C + G + P), where A is sodium alginate, C is carboxymethyl cellulose, G is gum arabic, P is pectin. Emulsion gels based on BPS were formed with sunflower oil and used in the caramel recipe instead of milk fat and proteins. The evaluation included determination of foaming and emulsifying capacity, analysis of droplet size distribution, density and moisture measurement, organoleptic evaluation, X-ray tomography, as well as temperature and physicochemical parameters during the boiling process.

Results: It was found that the most effective in terms of the combination of parameters is the polysaccharide complex (A + G + P), forming dispersions with an oil droplet radius of 1-2 μm. The introduced emulsion gel ensured a 25% reduction in boiling time and a stable structure of the foam-emulsion gel. Organoleptic evaluation of the test samples showed comparable or better performance compared to the traditional recipe. Microstructural analysis confirmed a uniform distribution of oil droplets and the absence of signs of coalescence. Conclusions: The use of protein-polysaccharide emulsion gels allows replacing dairy components in the recipe for soft caramel, providing the desired technological properties and opening up prospects for creating functional plant-based products.

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