Wax based oleogels and their application in sponge cakes.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Consumer preference is shifting away from saturated fats from tropical oils.
• Liquid plant-based oils often lack the necessary functional properties for food applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate sunflower wax (SFW), beeswax (BW), rice bran wax (RBW), and a BW-SFW mixture as potential fat phases in low-density bakery products.
• To evaluate the key functionalities (foam-stabilization, viscoelastic properties, oil-binding) of these wax-based oleogels as oleofoams and in sponge cakes.

Main Methods:

• Formation and characterization of oleogels and oleofoams using SFW, BW, RBW, and a BW-SFW mixture.
• Investigation of foam-stabilization, viscoelastic properties, and oil-binding capabilities.
• Incorporation of oleogels into low-density bakery products (sponge cakes) and evaluation of their performance.

Main Results:

• All investigated waxes successfully formed oleofoams, with wax crystal aggregate location influencing oil-binding and viscoelasticity.
• While not all oleofoam findings translated directly to sponge cakes, all wax-based oleogels improved oil-leaping and visual appearance compared to canola oil.
• Sensory evaluations indicated satisfactory results for all wax-based oleogel applications in bakery products.

Conclusions:

• Wax-based oleogels show potential as functional alternatives to traditional fats in low-density bakery products.
• Understanding the role of wax crystal structure is key for optimizing oleogel properties.
• These findings facilitate targeted characterization and future market application of wax-based oleogels.