2.2.3. Bigel Preparation
Bigels were prepared according to the method developed previously with
some modifications (Saffold & Acevedo, 2021). Briefly, three
oleogel:hydrogel (OG:HG) ratios (60:40, 70:30, 80:20) with four
concentrations of MDG (0.5, 1, 2 and 3% (w/w)) were prepared. For bigel
preparation, the gelatin mixture was brought to 65-70°C and the two
phases were combined while at elevated temperatures. The mixture was
immediately homogenized at 24,000 rpm for one minute and then placed in
refrigerator (4 °C) for 24 hours to allow gelation. Each sample was
analyzed within five days of preparation. Triplicates were prepared and
analyzed for each formulated bigel. Bigels without the addition of
emulsifier were analyzed as controls. For shorthand, each formulation
will be represented by their OG:HG ratio with the emulsifier
concentration in parenthesis. For example, a 60:40 OG:HG bigel with an
emulsifier concentration of 0.5% (w/w) MDG will be referred to as
“60:40(0.5)” and the OG:HG ratio 60:40 without emulsifier will be
referred to as “60:40(0)”. The oleogel and hydrogel concentrations
remained at 10% (w/w) RBW and 7% (w/w) gelatin, respectively, for all
bigel formulations.