Preparation of Chitosan Oleogel from Capillary Suspension and Its Application in Pork Meatballs

In the oil dispersion of chitosan, the formation of a capillary bridge was triggered by adding a small amount of water to obtain an oleogel. With this method, the types of liquid oil and the ratio of oil/chitosan/water were explored to achieve an optimal oleogel. MCT performed best, followed by soybean oil, which was chosen for its edibility and cost. Increasing chitosan from 15% to 45% reduced oil loss from 46% to 13%, and raising the water/chitosan ratio from 0 to 0.8 lowered oil loss from 37% to 13%. After normalization, the optimal soybean oil, chitosan, and water ratio was 1:0.45:0.36, yielding a solid-like appearance, minimal oil loss of 13%, and maximum gel strength and viscosity. To assess the potential application of the optimized oleogel, it was incorporated into pork meatballs as a replacement for pork fat. Textural and cooking experiments revealed that as the oleogel content increased, the hardness of the pork meatballs increased, while the cooking loss decreased. It suggested that the chitosan oleogel could enhance the quality of pork meatballs while also contributing to a healthier product by reducing saturated fat content.