Potential food applications of edible oil organogels

The unique physical, functional, and nutritional properties of edible oil organogels has caught the eye of the food and pharmaceutical industries. These organogels are formed upon self-assembly of surfactant-like small molecules into crystalline fibers, sometimes hundreds of micrometers in length, which eventually lead to gelation of oil. Of particular interest is the ability of organogelator systems to structure and immobilize liquid triacylglycerols at very low concentrations (∼2%), which could be exploited for a variety of purposes in food products, from the manufacture of spreads to the solubilization, stabilization and delivery of lipid-soluble nutraceuticals. The purpose of this review is to outline the potential applications of edible oil organogels and to summarize the work that has been carried out to evaluate the functionality of organogelators in food systems.