Oleogels for food applications

Abstract Over the years, fats have been widely used in foods for different purposes including improving texture, aroma, and mouthfeel. Processing methods used in manufacturing solid fats might cause some adverse effects including a high amount of saturated and trans-fatty acids. To eliminate these negative effects, many studies have been conducted using different methods in the past decades. Oleogels, which can be defined as liquid oil entrapped within a thermoreversible, three-dimensional gel network using oleogelators such as waxes, monoglycerides, phospholipids, and phytosterols, have been tremendously used in many food formulations to reduce the amount of saturated and trans-fatty acids. Numerous food applications of oleogels are reported including meat, dairy, and bakery products. Overall, the main objective of this chapter is to outline the current state of knowledge on production, application, and potential effects of edible oleogels used in food formulations, and future trends and concerns will be discussed.