Comparative Study on the Ability of Different Oleogelators to Structure Sunflower Oil

In this research, the capability of different oleogelators (beeswax, rice bran wax and sunflower wax, stearic acid, octadecanol, gamma-oryzanol+beta-sitosterol mixture and ethylcellulose) to structure sunflower oil was studied at 10% (w/w) concentration. The physical, thermal, and rheological properties of sunflower oil oleogels were determined during storage at 20 degrees C. Results highlighted that different structured systems can be obtained by changing the oleogelator type dissolved in sunflower oil. The network formed by gamma-oryzanol and beta-sitosterol mixture resulted in the strongest oleogel. Among waxes, beeswax crystal network exhibited the best structuring performances in comparison to sunflower and rice wax sample. Other oleogels containing monoglyceride, octadecanol and stearic acid formed weaker sunflower oil gels but with high capacity to retain oil. Unexpectedly, samples containing ethylcellulose did not result in a gelled structure. During storage, sunflower oil oleogels showed changes in rheological properties (i.e., monoglyceride and sunflower wax oleogels) and oil binding capacity (i.e, rice wax, octadecanol and stearic acid oleogels). These findings could be useful for the selection of the best performing sunflower oil oleogelator depending on the specific intended application.