Recent Advances on Wax-Based Oleogels: Fabrication, Crystallization Properties and Application in Foods

Oleogelation is one of the most potential technologies to prepare plastic fats with zero trans-fatty acid and low saturated-fatty acid content. This process fabricates oleogels with thermo-reversibility and solid-like behaviors under different processing conditions (e.g., heating and stirring, or templated dehydration) after addition of an oleogelator to vegetable oils. Natural waxes have been demonstrated to be the most efficient crystalline oleogelators by virtue of their low price, easy accessibility and use at low concentrations for the preparation of oleogels with good texture. Herein, the fabrication technologies for oleogels based on natural waxes of different composition are systematically reviewed, with a focus on the factors affecting the crystallinity of wax-based oleogels, and the advantages and applications of wax-based oleogels are briefly described. Furthermore, the challenges and future trends in the development of natural wax-based oleogels in the industrial production of special oils and fats for foods are discussed.