Purpose

Role of omega-3 fatty acid (ω-3 FA) in human health and negative impact of altered omega-6 to 3 ratio is well documented. Hence, food fortification with ω-3 FA is need of the day. Functional foods containing ω-3 FA are gaining a lot of importance. However, long-term stability of ω-3 FA is a major obstacle with respect to the consumer acceptability and industrial exploitation of such functional food. The present study was a systematic attempt to assess the stability and acceptability of ω-3 FA emulsified formulation.

Method

Formulation was developed using flax oil with micronutrients and antioxidants at different doses (2–5 g/serve). The formulations were evaluated for long-term storage stability using various parameters such as oxidative stability, fatty acid analysis, optical microscopy, particle size analysis and zeta potential evaluation, colour analysis, and cryo-scanning electron microscopic analysis. Finally, the formulation was subjected for sensory evaluation using a 9-point hedonic scale to understand the overall acceptability of the formulation.

Results

There were significant alterations in oxidative stability parameters (p < 0.001), colour (p < 0.001), and zeta potential (p < 0.05), and marginal alterations were noted in fatty acid profile at the end of the 12 months. Microscopic studies showed homogeneity, uniformity in the morphological characteristics of the formulation, confirming the stability of ω-3 FA in the formulation. Sensory evaluation by 9-point hedonic scale revealed overall acceptability of the formulation in both water and milk.

Conclusion

The formulation (5 g/serve) was found to be stable up to 12 months, and consumer acceptability using sensory evaluation was proved.

中文翻译：

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含有微量营养素的 Omega-3-脂肪酸乳化配方的长期储存稳定性评估

目的

omega-3 脂肪酸 (ω-3 FA) 在人类健康中的作用以及 omega-6 与 3 比例改变的负面影响已得到充分证明。因此，每天需要用 ω-3 FA 进行食品强化。含有 ω-3 FA 的功能性食品越来越受到重视。然而，ω-3 FA 的长期稳定性是此类功能性食品消费者接受度和工业开发的主要障碍。本研究是对 ω-3 FA 乳化制剂的稳定性和可接受性进行评估的系统尝试。

方法

配方是使用亚麻油与不同剂量的微量营养素和抗氧化剂（2-5 克/份）开发的。使用各种参数评估配方的长期储存稳定性，例如氧化稳定性、脂肪酸分析、光学显微镜、粒度分析和 zeta 电位评估、颜色分析和低温扫描电子显微镜分析。最后，使用 9 点快感量表对配方进行感官评估，以了解配方的整体可接受性。

结果

氧化稳定性参数 ( p  < 0.001)、颜色 ( p  < 0.001) 和 zeta 电位 ( p  < 0.05)发生了显着变化，并且在 12 个月结束时注意到脂肪酸谱发生了边缘变化。显微研究表明制剂的形态特征均一、均一，证实了 ω-3 FA 在制剂中的稳定性。通过 9 点快感量表进行的感官评估表明该配方在水和牛奶中的总体可接受性。

结论

发现配方（5 克/份）可稳定长达 12 个月，并通过感官评估证明了消费者的可接受性。