Novel structuring strategies for unsaturated fats – Meeting the zero-trans, zero-saturated fat challenge: A review

Numerous foods acquire their elastic properties (i.e., snap, mouth-feel, and hardness) from the colloidal fat crystal network comprised primarily of trans- and saturated fats. These hardstock fats contribute, along with numerous other factors, to the global epidemics related to metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. A dire need for new technologies capable of structuring unsaturated edible oils, reducing the necessity for trans- and saturated fats, are required. At present, organogels are under-utilized in the food industry but numerous potential organogelators exist including: phytosterols and oryzanols, ceramides, monoglycerides and waxes. When examining these compounds as suitable ingredients for the food industry, they should be food grade, cost effective, have no negative health implications and one should be able to modify their physical properties. This review considers alternatives to colloidal fat crystal networks when structuring unsaturated oils as well as methods to modify their physical properties.