Abstract:The emulsification properties of natural waxes are worthy of note due to their distinctive hydrophobic structure. In order to gain insight into the microstructure of emulsion gel formation by different natural waxes and its role in performance regulation, this study was conducted using four distinct natural waxes to gelatinise a highly unsaturated liquid oil, resulting in the formation of plastic fat. Characterisation and analysis were conducted using DSC and PLM. The results demonstrated that following GMS modulation, the RCW and SFW gels exhibited a gradual deepening in colour, a homogeneous texture, and a milky sheen. As the mass of wax was increased from 6wt.% to 10 wt.%, the solid-like phenomenon of G′ > G′′ was observed. Furthermore, the apparent viscosity was elevated to a range of 102~103 Pa in the shear range of 1~100 s-1, demonstrating a clear correlation between the wax concentration and the observed viscosity. The four gels displayed pronounced thixotropic recovery in thixotropic scans conducted at 0.1s?1, 1s?1, and 0.1s?1. The peaks of the wax-based gels exhibited a tendency to be wider in the DSC and XRD analyses. The SW gels displayed the highest melting peaks and the largest enthalpy at the same concentration condition. The SFW and SW gels demonstrated the lowest crystallisation points during the The crystallisation process was observed via XRD, which presented two distinct sharp β′ crystalline peaks of 3.8 ? and 4.2 ?. PLM observations revealed the presence of smaller wax crystals in the gels with denser lattices and more pronounced thermal stability. The results of this study demonstrated the potential for these gels to replace conventional solid fats, thereby providing a possibility for new fats to improve the nutritional and physicochemical status of foods.
