10 – Ceramide Oleogels

Publisher Summary In the food industry, there is great potential for organogels to be utilized to reduce oil migration in multi-component foods, such as cream-filled chocolates. Organogels may also provide structure to edible unsaturated oils, reducing the need for saturated and trans fatty acids. With such diverse applications, an intimate understanding of the physical chemistry of these systems is of paramount importance. The potential of organogels as soft materials for the food industry is further impeded due to a lack of recognized food grade organogelators. One solution may be ceramides derived from food sources. The great diversity of ceramides differing with chain length and substituted sugar groups may change the functionality of the ceramide organogel. Benefits of dietary ceramides are that they are able to pass though the gut, where minimal hydrolysis occurs, and then are enzymatically broken down into sphingosine in the intestinal tract. Since these enzymes are found in the small and large intestine and not the stomach, this technology may be of interest for protecting nutraceuticals, allowing them to pass though the gut. This chapter discusses crystal morphology of ceramides, crystal structure of ceramides organogel fibers, and physical properties of ceramide organogel.