Structuring of Cold Pressed Oils: Evaluation of the Physicochemical Characteristics and Microstructure of White Beeswax Oleogels

Abstract

The aim of the study was to characterize the gelling effect of beeswax (BW) using different types of cold pressed oil. The organogels were produced by hot mixing sunflower oil, olive oil, walnut oil, grape seed oil and hemp seed oil with 3%, 7% and 11% beeswax. Characterization of the oleogels was done using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the chemical and physical properties of the oleogels were determined, the oil binding capacity was estimated and the SEM morphology was studied. The color differences were highlighted by the CIE Lab color scale for evaluating the psychometric index of brightness (L*), components a and b. Beeswax showed excellent gelling capacity at 3% (w/w) of 99.73% for grape seed oil and a minimum capacity of 64.34%for hemp seed oil. The value of the peroxide index is strongly correlated with the oleogelator concentration. Scanning electron microscopy described the morphology of the oleogels in the form of overlapping structures of platelets similar in structure, but dependent on the percentage of oleogelator added. The use in the food industry of oleogels from cold-pressed vegetable oils with white beeswax is conditioned by the ability to imitate the properties of conventional fats.

Characterization of Beeswax and Rice Bran Wax Oleogels Based on Different Types of Vegetable Oils and Their Impact on Wheat Flour Dough Technological Behavior during Bun Making

“…For beeswax, the critical concentration of the oleogel formation for most vegetable oils is around 6.0% w / w [ 17 ], whereas for rice bran it is 5.0% w / w [ 10 ]. The oleogels were obtained according to the method described by Ropciuc et al [ 3 ]. The oils and wax were heated to a temperature of 80 °C using a hotplate with an orbital stirrer until the wax completely dissolved.…”

“…Their replacement with other types of fats is difficult to carry out in the food industry due to their technological characteristics, especially their solid properties at room temperature [ 2 ]. Nowadays, food producers and scientists are trying to obtain alternative fats without saturated and trans fatty acids that may be used in bakery products [ 3 ]. For this purpose, it is necessary to modify the liquid structure of oils into a solid one without changing their nutritional profile.…”

“…For this purpose, it is necessary to modify the liquid structure of oils into a solid one without changing their nutritional profile. Oleogelation may be a new alternative technology for obtaining semi-solid vegetable oils, and it involves structuring liquid fats using gelling agents; this technology has the potential to provide low saturated fat products with the solid structure that is required in the food industry [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Different types of oils may be used for oleogel production with a high level of biological activity of the lipids and a high content of essential fatty acids.…”

“…For example, an oleogelator’s gelling ability may increase if the vegetable oil used for oleogel production presents a higher amount of saturated fatty acids in its composition [ 9 , 12 ]. According to our previous study, oleogels formulated with olive oil, grape seed oil, hemp seed oil, walnut oil, and sunflower oil using white beeswax (3%, 7%, and 11%) show high potential for saturated fat reduction in fat-based food products [ 3 ]. Oleogels have been developed in recent years, and the influence of replacing shortenings with them on the rheological and textural characteristics in various dough matrices, such as those of cookies, sponge cakes, shortcrust biscuits, sweet bread, or croissants, has been studied.…”

Preparation of Citral Oleogel and Antimicrobial Properties

“…This is because the network structure formed by β-sitosterol and γ-oryzanol is a multidimensional structure formed by itself, which is more stable than the two-dimensional crystal formed by other gels such as glycerol monostearate by many small crystals gathered to form a crystal network. The oil binding capacity (OBC) reflects the ability of the internal network structure of the oleogel to retain liquid oil, which is an important index to measure the physical stability of the oleogel [40]. The correlation between the combined content of gelling agents and OBC is illustrated in Figure 2a.…”