Researchers of the Institute of Natural Sciences and Mathematics are creating blends of vegetable oils with health-benefiting properties. The proposed blend helps improve the prophylactic product used in diets related to various diseases caused by carbohydrate and lipid metabolism disorders, and cardiovascular or oncological diseases.
The imbalance in consumed polyunsaturated fatty acids of various families (omega-3, omega-6, etc.) causes abnormalities in nervous and immune systems, and development of oncological, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. SUSU scientists have created an oil blend with optimal composition, in which polyunsaturated fatty acids are well balanced according to the medical standards.
“It is known that natural oils are not well balanced in terms of the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins and other dietary elements. That’s why we need to produce foods with the required composition artificially, for instance, by creating blends from the available, technologically-convenient and widely used vegetable oils,” shared postgraduate student of the Department of Ecology and Chemical Engineering Iuliia Bets.
To calculate the optimal ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids, researchers in their laboratory studied the properties of sunflower-seed, canola, corn, and chia-seed oils: values of the peroxide and acid numbers, content of vitamin E (ά-tocopherol), polyphenols, fractional makeup of fatty acids, antioxidant properties, characteristics of colour, transparency, flavour and aroma. The fatty acids composition was analysed using a software and hardware complex based on the Khromatek-Kristall 5000 chromatograph.
Mathematical modelling was also used for the creation of blends based on the studied oils to preserve the maximum of E (ά-tocopherol) and polyphenols in their content while forming the set ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Prominence liquid chromatograph was used to determine the content of ά-tocopherol, and UV-1800 spectrophotometer – to determine polyphenols.
“Vitamin E (ά-tocopherol) reduces the toxic effects from heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg) on human body, and it also has antitumor properties thanks to the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulating action. Polyphenols of vegetable origin strengthen capillary vessels and have anti-viral, oncology- inhibiting, antioxidant and antiallergic effects,” explained Iuliia Bets.
During the testing of a Fruit Cake formula, the oil blends proved to be effective for the production of foods with well-balanced polyunsaturated fatty acids and high content of functional ingredients. In addition, Iuliia Bets notes that the new vegetable oil blends have good prospects for their commercialization.
They can be used both for direct consumption and for production of baked goods and confectionery, fat-and-oil products, or for cooking in the catering sector, etc.
It is planned to publish the research results in such journals as Biochemical Pharmacology, and Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.
South Ural State University is a university of transformations, where innovative research is conducted in most of the priority fields of science and technology development. In accordance with the strategy of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation, the university is focused on the development of big scientific interdisciplinary projects in the field of digital industry, materials science, and ecology. In 2021 SUSU became the winner in the competition under the Priority 2030 program. The university acts as a regional project office of the World-class Ural Interregional Research and Education Centre (UIREC), which is aimed at solving the tasks of the Science and Universities National Project.