Modulation and Characterization of Wax-Based Olive Oil Organogels in View of Their Application in the Food Industry

Abstract

Olive oil has recognized health benefits but lacks structural resilience to act in a similar fashion as do the typically used triglycerides (TAGs) when applied in food manufacturing. Therefore, olive oil structuring is critical to widening its use as a healthier alternative in spreadable products. Foreseeing the development of an application for the food industry, three types of natural waxes were used as organogelators, generating olive oil organogels with distinct properties. Retail-simulated storage conditions were used to mimic real-life industrial and commercial use. Organogel systems were evaluated according to their oxidation stability and textural and rheological properties. Textural and rheological parameters increased in response to increasing gelator concentration, while oxidation values (below 1.5 meq O2·kg−1) remained within legal limits. Organogels displayed similar textural properties to those of commercially available spreadable products, while displaying a low critical gelation concentration. In short, it was shown that tailoring the physicochemical properties of organogels towards specific applications is possible. The produced organogels showed similar properties to the ones of commercially available spreadable products, revealing favourable oxidative profiles. Therefore, an industrial application can be easily foreseen, building on the natural characteristics of olive oil as a healthier alternative to current spreadable products.

Effect of Dietary Fiber and Thermal Conditions on Rice Bran Wax-Based Structured Edible Oils

“…Nevertheless, the temperature influence on structural parameters reported in Figure 4 had less impact than that observed in Figure 3 , thus suggesting a different crystallization mechanism between sunflower and olive oil ( Figure 3 and Figure 4 ). The latter results found coherence with what was already reported in other studies as a function of wax melting properties [ 36 , 37 ], oil viscosity, and oil/wax affinity [ 38 ].…”

Oleogel formulation using lipophilic sea buckthorn extract isolated from pomace with supercritical CO2

“…Pressure drops during analysis in the Oxipres system occur due to the increased oxygen binding by unsaturated fatty acids present in TAGs. This phenomenon indicates the beginning of a propagation phase of a radical chain reaction during oil The study on olive oil organogels made with different waxes showed that the increase in waxes content helped prevent oxidation (Silva, Martins, Fasolin, & Vicente, 2021 (Hwang, Fhaner, Winkler-Moser, & Liu, 2018). Such an explanation fits our results showing that the oxidation of denser-structured carnauba wax oleogels was slower compared with beeswax oleogels with a more open structure.…”

Candelilla wax‐based oleogels versus palm oil: evaluation of physical properties of innovative and conventional lipids using optical techniques

“…Wijarnprecha et al 38 . and Silva et al 39 . showed a positive correlation between waxes concentration (rice, candelilla, carnauba, yellow bees) and values of the elastic modulus G ′ and hardness.…”

“…oleogelator concentration on rheological properties of oleogels has also been demonstrated by other workers using commonly known analyses. 38,39 Wijarnprecha et al 38 and Silva et al 39 showed a positive correlation between waxes concentration (rice, candelilla, carnauba, yellow bees) and values of the elastic modulus G 0 and hardness. The increase in wax concentration resulted in the 3D network enhancement through greater aggregation of the gelator crystals.…”