Olive Oil Oleogel Formulation Using Wax Esters Derived from Soybean Fatty Acid Distillate

Oleogelation is an emerging technology to structure oils, which can be widely used to substitute saturated and trans fats. Extra virgin olive oil is widely recognized for its high nutritional value, but its utilization in oleogel production is currently limited. In this study, extra virgin olive oil was utilized for the production of a novel oleogel using wax esters derived from soybean fatty acid distillate (SFAD), a byproduct of industrial soybean oil refining. Different concentrations (7%, 10%, 20%, w/w) of SFAD-wax esters were used to evaluate the minimum concentration requirement to achieve oleogelation. Analyses of the mechanical properties of oleogel showed a firmness of 3.8 N, which was then reduced to around 2.1-2.5 N during a storage period of 30 days at 4 °C. Rheological analysis demonstrated that G' is higher than G″ at 20-27 °C, which confirms the solid properties of the oleogel at this temperature range. Results showed that SFAD was successfully utilized for the oleogelation of olive oil, resulting in a novel oleogel with desirable properties for food applications. This study showed that industrial fatty side streams could be reused for the production of value-added oleogels with novel food applications.