Development of oleogels from supercritical CO2-extracted bee brood oil combined with palm oil, coconut oil, and commercial oleogelators

Supercritical CO 2 -extracted bee brood oil (BB) was non-cytotoxic and biocompatible up to 1000 µg/mL in Caco-2 and HepG2 cells, supporting its potential use in oleogel formulation A palm–coconut oil mixture (PC) enriched with BB at a 50:50 w/w ratio (PC BB2) exhibited a high oil-binding capacity (OBC) of 98.85 %, which was further enhanced by the addition of waxes. Blends of PC–BB2 with beeswax (BW) (50:0.5 and 50:1 w/w) or candelilla wax (CLW) (50:1) achieved OBC values of 99.25–99.41 % and 99.69 %, respectively. In contrast, PC with BW or CLW without BB formed firm oleogels with complete oil retention. BB-based oleogels were softer and less sticky, whereas PC with BW or CLW produced firmer and stickier structures compared with commercial margarine. The type and proportion of wax strongly influenced crystallization, thermal properties, and oxidative stability. BW facilitated faster nucleation during cooling, while CLW promoted higher-melting crystalline structures. Peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs) analyses showed that BW accelerated primary oxidation, whereas CLW improved stability at low ratios but promoted secondary oxidation at higher ratios. Pure PC BB2 exhibited lower PV, and commercial margarine consistently displayed the lowest TBARs values. Overall, BB could act as a natural oleogelator with commercial oleogelators, forming soft, non-sticky oleogels with good oil retention and desirable structural and functional properties, showing strong potential as alternative lipid systems for innovative food applications.