Capillary-suspension-structured cellulose/fish oil oleogel-based bigels: Ratio-driven phase organization and swallowing performance

Cellulose/fish oil oleogels were formed via capillary suspension. • Oleogel/hydrogel ratio regulated phase inversion and network coupling. • BG50 showed compact network with optimal cohesiveness and deformation resistance. • Oleogel/hydrogel ratio tuned IDDSI swallowing performance from level 6 to level 5. Dysphagia-friendly foods require tunable texture, structural stability, and controlled oral deformation. In this study, cellulose/fish oil oleogels were constructed through capillary suspension structuring, and further combined with fish gelatin hydrogels to produce bigels with adjustable swallowing properties. Oleogel formation was jointly regulated by cellulose and water contents. The oleogel containing 25 wt% cellulose and 5 wt% water formed a stable bridged network with improved oil-holding capacity, reaching 73.32 ± 0.45%, and its structural recovery increased from 11.85% to 66.00% with increasing cellulose content. The oleogel/hydrogel ratio markedly affected bigel phase organization, rheology, texture, stability, and IDDSI performance. Increasing oleogel fraction induced a structure transition from hydrogel-continuous phase structure to semi-bicontinuous transitional structure and finally to an oleogel-rich structure. BG50 exhibited favorable structural and mechanical performance, with compact network, enhanced gel strength, and stable deformation resistance. IDDSI tests showed that bigels containing 10∼50% oleogel corresponded to Level 6, whereas those containing 70∼90% oleogel shifted to Level 5. Additionally, bigels with an oleogel content below 50% exhibited higher centrifugal stability, supporting their potential for processing, storage, and transport. Overall, this study provides new insights and methods for the design of dysphagia-friendly foods. Download: Download high-res image (323KB) Download: Download full-size image