Tailoring Crystalline Structure Using High-Intensity Ultrasound to Reduce Oil Migration in a Low Saturated Fat

The objective of this study was to use high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) to change the crystalline structure of an interesterified soybean oil (IESBO) with 33% of saturated fats and to evaluate how these changes affect oil migration. The IESBO was crystallized at different temperatures (26, 28, 30, and 32 °C) with and without HIU. Results show that oil migration was significantly affected by HIU (P < 0.05). HIU promoted crystallization and induced the formation of harder crystalline networks that were more resistant to oil migration with lower melting peak temperatures and sharper melting profiles. Samples processed with HIU had fewer crystalline clusters as observed by microscopy. Changes observed on the physical properties of the IESBO due to sonication that consequently improved oil migration were attributed to the ability of HIU to induce secondary nucleation and crystallize low-melting point triacyclglycerols (SUU) that would not crystallize without the HIU and to the stronger and stable crystalline network formed capable of entrapping liquid TAG (UUU).