Feasibility of Hemp Seed Oil Oleogels Structured with Natural Wax as Solid Fat Replacement in Margarine

Cold-pressed hempseed oil (HSO) is known to have many health benefits due to many phytochemicals and high polyunsaturated fatty acids content. In this study, HSO oleogels were prepared with 3, 5, and 7% natural waxes including sunflower wax (SW), rice bran wax (RBW), beeswax, and candelilla wax to evaluate their potential as solid fat replacements in margarines and spreads. Firmness, crystal structures, and melting properties of these oleogels were evaluated. In general, wax-based HSO oleogels except for RBW-HSO oleogels had lower firmness and weaker crystal network than the corresponding soybean oil (SBO) oleogels. In contrast, RBW-HSO oleogels had similar firmness, comparable or stronger crystal network, and higher melting and crystallization enthalpies compared to those of SBO oleogels. After removing polar compounds from HSO, waxes except for RBW provided oleogels with greater firmness, higher melting and crystallization enthalpies, and stronger crystal network. Therefore, it was concluded that polar compounds negatively affected the physical properties of wax-HSO oleogels but not those of RBW-HSO oleogels. Margarine samples were prepared with SW- and RBW-HSO oleogels, and their firmness and melting properties were examined. The firmness of these margarines indicated that wax-HSO oleogels may achieve the firmness of commercial spreads with less than 3% wax while the firmness of stick margarines cannot be achieved even with 7% wax. Although the properties of wax-HSO oleogels should be further improved, they showed potential as solid fat replacements in margarines and spreads.

Medicinal properties of jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis)

Jojoba, Simmondsia chinensis (Link) C.K. Schneider is an evergreen shrub widely grown in Israel, the Middle East, South America, Africa, India and Australia used as an agricultural crop for commercial purposes and as a source of its non-edible natural wax. It is widely used in pharmaceutics and cosmetic formulation due to its unique structural characteristics and beneficial health effects. In addition, extensive work has been published on the plant’s health-promoting activities, ranging from antioxidant activities to the treatment of cancer. Being a rich source of natural liquid wax, the majority of research regarding jojoba focuses on its applications, as well as on the ability to exploit the residual plant materials obtained in its production. To date, several potent phytochemicals have been attributed to its medicinal properties, e.g. simmondsin and phenolic compounds. The current review emphasizes the evidence-based medicinal qualities of the wax and plant extracts and highlights the gaps of knowledge in these research areas and the importance of acquiring additional understanding of jojoba distinctive traits.

The performance of beeswax coating containing vegetable oil-based lecithin as an emulsifier on weight loss and shelf life estimation of mango

Fruits are one of the agricultural commodities grown in Indonesia and mango constitutes the third largest. One of the disadvantages in transporting mangoes to long distant markets is the short shelf life when fruits are stored at the room temperature. Some efforts to maintain quality and freshness have been coating the fruits with natural wax/beeswax. This study aimed to determine the effects of beeswax coating containing vegetable oil-based lecithin on physical and weight loss in mango, as well as estimate the shelf life using the Accelerated Shelf-Life Testing (ASLT) method. The coating formulation consisted of beeswax, triethanolamine, stearic acid, vegetable lecithin (soybean: rice bran), and water. Mango coated with beeswax coating with a concentration of vegetable lecithin emulsifier were varied at 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1%, and control (without beeswax coating) stored at room temperature 301oK and cooler temperature 286oK. Samples were monitored for five weeks and evaluated periodically for physical change and weight loss. Beeswax coated mango exhibited slower rate of ripening than the control stored in both room and cooler temperatures. The lowest total weight loss of mangoes at both temperatures for 5 weeks with beeswax coating at 0.25% vegetable lecithin emulsifier was 7.25%. The estimation of shelf life using ASLT method and Arrheinus model to mango fruit coated with beeswax coating at 0.25% vegetable lecithin concentration as emulsifier was 36.91 days.