Construction and application of a novel bigel system to prepare a nutritional cream

A bigel prepared with phytosterol (PS) and glycerol monostearate (GMS)-immobilized sunflower seed oil, k-carrageenan hydrogel, and water was developed and used to partially replace whipped cream, creating a new nutritious whipped cream product. With a ratio of PS to GMS of 3:7 (B3), PS crystals were embedded in the inverted-lamellar and sub-α crystalline phases of GMS to control crystallization; as a result, we obtained combined bigels with a particular morphology. B3 exhibited the highest storage modulus, and showed an enhanced gel structure. In addition, B3 was the most stable sample of all bigels (2.88% loss of liquid fraction). Bigel-whipped cream substituted with bigel at a ratio of 5%–20% contained 1414–5656 mg/100 g of unsaturated fatty acids, 127–517 mg/100 g of PS, 1–4 mg/100 g of tocopherol and 0.2–1.2 mg/100 g of squalene. As a new type of whipped cream, bigel-based whipped cream can improve the nutritional value of whipped cream while ensuring good whipping properties, appearance, and mouthfeel.