Edible HIPE-Gels and oleogels formed by synergistically combining natural triterpenoid saponin and citrus dietary fiber.

High-internal-phase emulsion gels (HIPE-Gels) and oleogels were successfully fabricated through synergistically combination of natural triterpenoid Quillaja saponin (QS) and citrus dietary fiber (CDF). The amphiphilic QS significantly lowered the oil-water interface tension; whereas CDF could form compact structure at the interface as well as in the bulk under a hydrogen-bonding interaction with saponin. The combination endowed the emulsion gels with enhanced performance, such as decreasing droplet size, strengthening gel network structure and better viscoelastic. At a very low QS of 0.045 %, stable HIPE-Gels can be produced with 0.3 % CDF, which mainly attributing to the highly viscoelastic fiber networks in continuous phase and thus actively trap the QS-coated emulsion droplets. Consequently, the robust HIPE-Gels were applied as soft template to fabricate oleogels with controlled by QS and CDF loading. These findings proved an effective strategy towards structuring edible liquid oil into healthy gels for alternating saturated and trans fats in foods.