INFORM February 2026

EXTRACTS & DISTILLATES INFORM 45

pork salami. This study is the first to investigate the impact of these oil press cakes, used as replacements for raw meat, on the fatty acid content and oxidative status of pork salami during refrigerated storage. To this aim, five formulations of pork salami were prepared (Sc [control salami], S2.2%pp [with 2.2% pumpkin powder], S2.2%wp [with 2.2% walnut powder], S3.5%pp [with 3.5% pumpkin powder], and S3.5%wp [with 3.5% walnut powder]) and stored at 7°C for 30 days. Even at the lowest concentration of powder used in the finished product (2.2%), both press cakes improved the salami’s fatty acid composition, particularly in PUFA, thereby increasing the PUFA/ saturated fatty acids (SFA) ratio. The incorporation of pumpkin powder augmented the ratio of n-6 (omega 6)/ n-3 (omega-3) PUFA in the pork salami, whereas walnut powder lowered it. However, the salamis made with these two powders demonstrated reduced lipid stability during storage. This instability is attributed to the oxidation of oleic acid, a major fatty acid in these salamis, which led to the formation of more secondary oxidation compounds during storage than in the Sc. In conclusion, although pumpkin and walnut cakes can ameliorate the lipid profile of pork salami, they are not recommended as ingredients for products with a long shelf life. Practical Applications : The findings of this study are valuable for food producers

seeking to incorporate oil press cakes into hybrid meat products to enhance their lipid profile with polyunsaturated fatty acids. For this effect, they should replace a portion of the raw meat with pumpkin or walnut press cakes, ensuring that the finished product contains more than 2.2% of these ingredients. However, as polyunsaturated fatty acids are highly prone to oxidation, this can negatively impact the reformulated product’s shelf life. Therefore, it is not advisable to use these oil press cakes as ingredients in long-life products. Ryan J. Stoklosa is a research chemical engineer and lead scientist for the USDA, Agricultural Research Service located in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. His research focuses on technologies to convert plant biomass into fuels and high value chemicals. Edible applications for structured fat/oil compounds continue to be evaluated for improvements in component stability, delivery, and bioaccessibility. The first article developed a nanostructured lipid carrier using coconut oil with emulsifiers to modulate a solid/liquid state and characterized the resulting crystallization behavior. The second article used molecular dynamics to study the molecular interactions of caffeine in chocolate protein bars and, more specifically, how these interactions with fatty acids influence the

products stability and efficacy. The last article is an in-depth review of the current state of technology and applications for structured oils that mimic the behavior of solid fats. MODULATION OF COCONUT OIL CRYSTALLIZATION BY DATEM AND GLYCEROL MONOSTEARATE FOR THE CREATION OF NANOSTRUCTURED LIPID CARRIERS Arzeni, C and Pilosof, A.M.R., Food Chemistry , 482, 144146, 2025. The feasibility of developing nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) based on coconut oil (CO) was analyzed by studying the crystallization behavior of bulk and emulsified CO in the presence of diacetyl tartaric acid ester of monoglycerides (DATEM) and glycerol monostearate (GM). Supercooling was almost halved compared to pure CO, and crystallization began at higher temperatures due to the seed effect of the emulsifiers. A significant difference in the crystallization enthalpy (ΔH) of CO was observed. Consequently, the solid fat content decreased to only 63–66 % when CO was emulsified. Both pure and emulsified CO crystallized in the β ’-2 polymorph. The Avrami model showed reduced crystal dimensionality in CO-emulsifier blends and emulsions. NLCs derived from CO emulsions formulated with GM as emulsifier were most suitable due to the absence