Oleogel: definition, possible applications and further developments Webinar, 20th October 2021

Oleogelation is defined as the process able to convert a liquid oil into an anhydrous, viscoelastic self-standing material called oleogel [1]. In recent years, this topic has attracted an increasing interest and the research in this area is progressively growing. Different food applications have been proposed for oleo-gels. The most promising one is their use as fat substitute to obtain healthier foods with reduced content of sat/trans fatty acids. Currently, the fat substitution is highly demanded due to the health issues associ-ated with the consumption of lipids rich in saturated/trans fatty acids, such as animal fats (e.g. butter and lard), tropical oils (e.g. palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil), margarine and shortenings containing them. As extensively demonstrated, their excessive intake is closely related to the increase of the risk of incidence of many non-communicable diseases (e.g., coronary heart disease, Type II diabetes, obesity, stroke, metabolic syndrome and other cholesterol maladies) [2]. To complicate this matter, concerns over sustainability severely limit the use of some fats. This is the case of palm oil and other tropical oils, whose increased production has led to deforestation throughout the world’s tropical regions with consequent environmental issues [3]. Oleogels and oleogelation methodologies were the topics of the webinar organized by the Società Italiana per lo Studio delle Sostanze Grasse (SISSG) on the 20th of October 2021. The contents of the webinar are here briefly summarized.