Development and characterization of food grade bigels based on Ocimum basilicum .L seed oil and mucilage and beeswax for quercetin delivery

• Novel food grade bigels based on basil seed mucilage hydrogel and beeswax/ basil seed oil oleogel were developed as quercetin carriers. • Different ratios of oleogel to hydrogel caused significant changes in physicochemical, textural and rheological properties of bigels. • FTIR confirmed strong intermolecular bonds maintaining bigel structural integrity. • Oxidative stability of bigels improved at lower hydrogel ratios. • The release of quercetin was much greater in the simulated intestinal condition, especially at higher oleogel ratios. The objective of present study was to develop and characterize a novel edible bigel based on basil seed mucilage hydrogel and beeswax/ basil seed oil (rich in omega-3 fatty acids) oleogel as carriers for quercetin and the roles of different ratios of oleogel/hydrogel (90–50%) on physicochemical, textural, rheological and delivery of quercetin were investigated. At lower hydrogel ratios (10% and 20%), substantial efficiency in solvent binding capacity was observed in bigel formulations. The bigels containing 90 to70% oleogel showed lower swelling ratio (less than 10%) and the highest swelling (∼15%) was found in bigel containing 50% hydrogel. As the proportion of hydrogel increased, a significant rise (p