Supercritical CO2-extracted oil from tray-dried and freeze-dried bee brood: Physicochemical properties and oleogelation potential

• Supercritical CO 2 (SC- CO 2 )-extracted oil yields from tray- and freeze-dried bee brood showed no significant difference at each temperature. • Tray-dried SC- CO 2 bee brood oil shows potential for use alone or with oleogelators in food. • SC- CO 2 bee brood oil alone and its oleogels showed >99.5 % oil binding, exceeding margarine. • SC- CO 2 bee brood oleogels showed low PV and TBARs, but candelilla wax and margarine increased TBARs • Oleogels showed better crystallization, thermal stability, and melting behavior than commercial margarine. Oil yields from tray-dried and freeze-dried bee brood extracted using supercritical CO 2 did not show statistically significant differences at each extraction temperature. Oil from tray-dried bee brood demonstrated potential for use in oleogels, either alone or combined with commercial oleogelators, due to its high oil-holding capacity. Oleogels made with this oil and commercial waxes exhibited oil-binding capacities above 99.5 %, while commercial margarine showed 98.15 %. Incorporating commercial waxes such as beeswax (BW), carnauba wax (CBW), and candelilla wax (CLW) enhanced the crystallization and thermal stability of supercritical CO₂-extracted bee brood oil (BB), producing oleogels with more complex melting profiles than margarine, which showed transitions at lower temperatures. Oleogels prepared from BB and these commercial waxes displayed lower peroxide and TBARs values overall, although the CLW-based oleogel and margarine presented higher TBARs values. BB, its wax-based oleogels, and margarine responded differently to strain, frequency, and temperature. While margarine showed the highest strain tolerance, it was less stable at elevated frequencies and temperatures. Adding CBW or CLW wax improved the stability of BB-based oleogels compared to BW. These results suggest that BB has potential as an ingredient for oleogels, with opportunities to further improve its oxidative stability and desirable viscoelasticity for food applications.