Evaluation of Beeswax,Candelilla Wax,Rice Bran Wax,and Sunflower Wax as Alternative Stabilizers for Peanut Butter

Four natural waxes were evaluated as stabilizers in peanut butter. The potential advantage of using natural waxes would be the replacement of current stabilizers such as hydrogenated or tropical oils, thereby reducing saturated fats and satisfying clean label requirements. Beeswax (BW), candelilla wax (CLW), rice bran wax (RBW), sunflower wax (SFW), and a commercial peanut butter stabilizer, hydrogenated cottonseed oil (HCO), were added to three natural peanut butter brands at levels ranging from 0.5% to 2.0% (w/w) and tested for accelerated oil release, long-term stability, firmness, and rheology. At levels ≥0.5%, all waxes improved oil-binding capacity (OBC). SFW and HCO had the highest OBC, followed by RBW, CLW, and BW. All waxes reduced the amount of oil separation after 6 months at 22 ± 2 °C. HCO followed by SFW reduced oil separation the most, but there were no significant differences between stabilizers at 1–2%. Firmness and yield stress increased with increasing stabilizer level, with SFW increasing firmness the most, followed by HCO, RBW, and CLW, while BW had the lowest effect. The results indicate that the waxes may be feasible replacements for hydrogenated oils as peanut butter stabilizers, but levels would need to be optimized depending on the product characteristics and wax type.     

Structure and Physical Properties of Plant Wax Crystal Networks and Their Relationship to Oil Binding Capacity

The microstructure, melting and crystallization behavior, rheological properties and oil binding capacity of crystalline networks of plant-derived waxes in edible oil were studied and then compared amongst different wax types. The critical concentrations for oleogelation of canola oil by rice bran wax (RBX), sunflower wax, candelilla wax, and carnauba wax were 1, 1, 2, and 4 %, respectively, suggesting RBX and sunflower wax are more efficient structurants. A phenomenological two-phase exponential decay model was implemented to quantify the oil-binding capacity of these oleogels. Parameters obtained from this empirical model were then evaluated against microscale structural attributes such as crystal size, mass distribution and porosity to determine the structural dependence of oil-binding capacity. Gels containing candelilla wax exhibited the greatest oil-binding capacity, as they retained nearly 90 % of their oil. This is due to the small crystal size as well as the spatial distribution of these crystals. Using a microscopic to macroscopic approach, this study examines how the structural characteristics unique to each wax and resulting oleogel system affect functionality and macroscopic behavior.     

Effect of dewaxing pretreatment on composition and stability of rice bran oil: Potential antioxidant activity of wax fraction

The effect of dewaxing pretreatment on rice bran oil composition and stability was investigated, as well as the possibility to use rice bran oil waxes as natural antioxidants at high temperatures. A correlation between wax content and dewaxing time was noticed. The pre‐dewaxing process led to a loss of minor compounds, which negatively affected the oxidative stability index (OSI) of the dewaxed oil. The addition of rice bran oil waxes improved the oil stability index and heat stability of sunflower oil. An increase of 60% of the OSI and a significant decrease in polymer formation (59.2%) were observed.     

A Simplified Method for Fractionation and Analysis of Waxes and Oils from Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) Bran

In the United States, sorghum is primarily used for animal feed and ethanol production but has potential to provide value-added coproducts including waxes and oil. The surface of sorghum contains 0.1–0.4% wax; however, wax extraction from whole kernels before fermentation may not be economical. An alternative method for this extraction could be facilitated through decortication, abrasion of the surface to remove bran. Decortication increases the starch content of decorticated sorghum, potentially improving ethanol yields, while concentrating wax and oil to the bran. Typically, oil (triacylglycerols) and waxes are extracted from bran in one extraction and waxes are precipitated from oil using cold temperatures then filtration. This research compared traditional fractionation (simulated with a two-step, single-temperature extraction) to a two-step, dual-temperature extraction, whereby oil is first extracted at room temperature and then waxes at elevated temperature. Extractions were performed using an accelerated solvent extractor with hexane or ethanol as solvents. Ethanol extraction showed greater yields (~15% w/w) compared to those of hexane (~11% w/w) because polar materials were extracted. Using hexane, the two-step, dual-temperature fractionation separated waxes from oils via the temperature of extraction solvent with similar purity to the traditional method that fractionated via cold precipitation and filtration. For ethanol, the traditional single-step method fractionated with higher wax purity but lower oil purity compared to the two-step, dual-temperature fractionation.     

Organogel Formation of Soybean Oil with Waxes

Many waxes including plant waxes and animal waxes were evaluated for the gelation ability toward soybean oil (SBO) and compared with hydrogenated vegetable oils, petroleum waxes and commercial non-edible gelling agents to understand factors affecting the gelation ability of a gelator. Sunflower wax (SW) showed the most promising results and all SW samples from three different suppliers could make a gel with concentrations as low as 0.5 wt%. Candelilla wax and rice bran wax also showed good gelation properties, which, however, varied with different suppliers. Gelation ability of a wax is significantly dependant on its purity and detailed composition. A wax ester with longer alkyl chains has significantly better gelation ability toward SBO than that with shorter alkyl chains indicating that the chain length of a component in a wax such as wax ester is an important factor for gelation ability. The SW–SBO organogel showed increased melting point with increased SW content, showing the melting point range from about 47 to 65 °C with 0.5–10 wt% SW. The effects of cooling rate on crystal size and firmness of a gel were investigated. The dependence of firmness on cooling rate was so significant that the desired texture of an organogel could be achieved by controlling the cooling rate in addition to controlling the amount of gelling agent. This research reveals that a small amount of food grade plant waxes including SW may replace a large amount of the hardstock containing trans-fat or saturated fat.     

Characterization of Oleogels Based on Waxes and Their Hydrolyzates

In this paper, the structuring of liquid oils, also known as oleogelation, is systematically investigated for the first time using a quasi-quaternary mixing system approach. Native waxes with different quantities of wax esters (WE), n-alkanes (hydrocarbons (HC)), fatty acids (FA), and fatty alcohols (FaOH) are applied in mixtures with hydrolyzed waxes to systematically change the composition. Hydrolyzed waxes contain high levels of FA and FaOH. The model systems are investigated on microscopic level (brightfield light microscopy (BFM), cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM)) as well as on their macroscopic properties (rheology, gel hardness) and calorimetric behavior (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)). It is found that sunflower wax (SFW)-based gels (12% structurant) become less hard on any admixture. Beeswax (BW)-based gels show significant increases in hardness when 25% and 50% (w/w) hydrolyzate are admixed. This could be related to stepwise crystallization. Further analysis reveals that the dissolution/melting behavior of the wax ester mixtures can be surprisingly well described as ideal solubility of a single pseudocomponent. The approach to unravel the individual contributions of the different species present in waxes is successful and marks a first step to better understand the systematic of wax functionality as oleogelators. Practical Application: The substitution of hardstock fats in structured oil phases is of interest for two reasons. The improved nutritional profile oleogels offer are beneficial for public health while the elimination of palm oil based ingredients appears to be a general public desire. Among the technical solutions for non-TAG oil structuring waxes are very promising. This is primarily due to their availability, prior consumption, potentially low cost for functionality. Currently waxes are technically and scientifically wrongly treated as single components. In order to better utilize the potential of waxes and design future sourcing strategies it is necessary to understand the wax functionality at a compositional/molecular level. This contribution marks the first step into this direction by considering classes of molecules with respect to their contribution to functionality. This understanding is considered as a key for future compositional design.     

Organogelation Capacity of Epicuticular and Cuticular Waxes from Flax and Wheat Straws

Valorization of the agri-food industry by-products could contribute to curb issues related to food security and environmental problems. Flax and wheat seeds are major products of this industry, but their production is associated with tons of straws that can be valorized for their cuticular and epicuticular waxes. We aimed to determine the organogelation capacity of epicuticular waxes in comparison to cuticular waxes from both flax and wheat straws. Epicuticular waxes from flax and wheat straws have structured canola oil at 2% and 4% (w/w), respectively, whereas cuticular waxes from flax and wheat straws required critical concentrations of 4% and 5% (w/w), respectively. Characterization of the organogelation capacity (onset of crystallization temperature, temperature of phase transition, crystal morphology, solid fat, crystalline structure, and oil binding capacity) was also carried out. The high onset of crystallization temperature (38.1 ± 1.2°C), the phase transition at high temperature (38 ± 1.5°C), and capacity to structure canola oil at low concentration showed that epicuticular wax from flax straw is a promisor fat substitute, presenting organogelation properties comparable to the best results obtained in the literature for other vegetal waxes.     

Effect of oil unsaturation and wax composition on stability,properties and food applicability of oleogels

Oleogelation is emerging as one of the most exigent oil structuring technique. The main objective of this study was to formulate and characterize rice bran/sunflower wax-based oleogels using eight refined food grade oils such as sunflower oil, mustard oil, soybean oil, sesame oil, groundnut oil, rice bran oil, palm oil, and coconut oil. Stability and properties of these oleogels with respect to oil unsaturation and wax composition were explored. Sunflower wax exhibited excellent gelation ability even at 1%–1.5% (w/v) concentration compared to rice bran wax (8%–10% w/v). As the oleogelator concentration increased, peak melting temperature also increased with increase in strength of oleogels as per rheological studies. X-ray diffraction and morphological studies revealed that oleogel microstructure has major influence of wax composition only. Sunflower wax oleogels unveiled rapid crystal formation with maximum oil binding capacity of 99.46% in highly unsaturated sunflower oil with maximum polyunsaturated fatty acid content. Further, the applicability of this wax based oleogels as solid fat substitute in marketed butter products was also scrutinized. The lowest value of solid fat content (SFC) in oleogel was 0.20% at 25°C, resembling closely with the marketed butter products. With increase in oil unsaturation, oleogels displayed remarkable reduction in SFC. Depending upon prerequisite, oleogel properties can be modulated by tuning wax type and oil unsaturation. In conclusion, this wax-based oleogel can be used as solid fat substitute in food products with extensive applications in other fields too.     

A Novel Propolis Wax-Based Organogel: Effect of Oil Type on Its Formation,Crystal Structure and Thermal Properties

In this work, the potential application of propolis wax (PW) as a novel organogelator was investigated in different oils (canola, sesame, sunflower and flaxseed oil). PW at 2% (w/w) concentration produced a thick organogel at 5, 10 and 15 °C, with needle‐like crystals, suggesting that PW is a relatively efficient structuring agent for organogel formation. The oil binding capacity of the organogel with canola oil was lower than that of the other organogels, and the gelling time of flaxseed organogel with lower oil viscosity was shorter. The X‐ray diffraction measurements of the crystals showed β′‐form crystals, with no influence of oil type. In FTIR results, no chemical intermolecular interactions that were observed indicated physical bonds in the organogel network. DSC analysis was carried out to obtain greater insight into the thermal behavior of PW organogels. No significant differences were observed. The textural properties of PW organogels were stable over 30 days of storage. Flaxseed oil organogel had the greatest firmness and stickiness. These results showed the effect of oil viscosity on PW gel behavior.     

Effect of Storage Time on Wax–Wax–Hydrolyzate Canola Oil Oleogels

In this study, two natural waxes, beeswax (BW) and sunflower wax (SFW), are combined with their hydrolyzed variants to deliberately alter the waxes’ composition. The properties of the produced oleogels with different wax inclusion levels (4%, 8%, 12%, and 16% w/w) are investigated after defined intervals (2 days, 7 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months). To do so, the gels are monitored via penetrometry, microscopy, and calorimetry. Although the gels do not show any significant difference during storage in the micrographs, the calorimetric and firmness data reveal meaningful results. The heat of dissolution increases in every system investigated, indicating post-crystallization processes. Due to different solubilities of wax components, the critical gelling concentration is determined and the solid wax content is retrieved to further address the structure efficiency (S.E.). It is demonstrated that although the quantity of solids over time increases, the scaffolding effectiveness decreases in most cases. Only SFW, most likely due to sintering, shows an increase in S.E. over the storage time. Identified synergistic effects in BW and hydrolyzate mixtures decrease with increasing storage time. This work aims to contribute to a better understanding of the behavior of wax-based oleogels upon storage. Practical Applications: Although much is known about the gel properties of wax-based oleogels at short-term, the behavior over the storage period remains largely unresolved. However, this behavior is immensely important for a real application in fast and slow moving consumer goods. After all, products should always have the same consumer-relevant properties when stored at variable time frames. This applies to both food and pharmaceutical products. Knowledge of the behavior of wax-based oleogels in terms of a time-dependent change can help to choose a targeted product design and ensure product quality and consumer satisfaction.     

Separation and Analysis of Wax from Egyptian Sugar Cane Filter Press Cake

Waxes from filter press cake of the by-product of the Sugar Cane Industry gained from various Egyptian Cane Sugar Factories were studied. A method for continuous extraction of wax filter cake using different solvent i. e. toluene, naphtha, acetone, fractionated gasoline, denatured and refined alcohol was investigated. The speed and ease of extraction using different solvents were compared. By using toluene as solvent the highest percentage of crude wax was obtained from Edfu, which gave 14.55%, while extraction with refined alcohol produced 12.65% crude wax from Qus. Decolorization of crude wax was carried out by sodium hypochlorite, nitric acid, chlorine, sulphur dioxide and acetone. The pure wax was separated from the fatty oil fraction by fractional crystallization from 70° to 0° C. The greater portion of wax can be obtained at 30° C. Hard, brittle wax was obtained between 45° to 20° C. The crude and refined waxes had properties comparable to carnauba wax and other commercial waxes. The Egyptian cane sugar waxes can be utilized in paper, ink, coating, varnishes, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and fertilizer industries.     

Simultaneous recovery of wax and oil from rice bran by filtration-extraction

Summary Hard rice waxes of high melting points have been obtained directly from rice bran while simultaneously producing oil. These waxes were produced by the following two methods. 1. selective cold hexane-extraction of cooked rice bran to remove the oil, hot hexane-extraction to remove the wax, chilling of the hot miscella and separation of the precipitated wax by centrifugation; 2. single hot hexane-extraction of raw or cooked rice bran, hot water washing and chilling of the miscella, separation of the wax precipitate by settling or centrifugation, and multiple cold hexane-washings of the wax. Wax can also be processed from rice oil settlings by the latter method after a miscella has been prepared. The cold extraction-hot extraction method should be preferable as a process when conducted on a single continuous filtration-extraction unit without reslurrying. Indications are that oil refining losses may be decreased by this method. Yields of rice wax varied from 0.22 to 0.31% of the original rice bran, or 1.29 to 1.82% of the extracted oil. Presented at the annual fall meeting, American Oil Chemists’ Society, Nov. 2–4, 1953, Chicago, Ill. One of the laboratories of the Southern Utilization Research Branch, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.     

Thermal and mechanical properties of LDPE/sisal fiber composites compatibilized with functionalized paraffin waxes

The effect of maleic anhydride‐grafted hard paraffin wax (MA‐g‐wax) and oxidized hard paraffin wax (OxWax), as possible compatibilizers, on the morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of LDPE/sisal fiber composites were examined. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results show that sisal alone did not change the crystallization behavior of LDPE, while the two waxes influenced the crystallization behavior of LDPE in different ways, whether mixed with LDPE alone or in the presence of sisal. The thermal properties seem to be influenced by the fact that the waxes preferably crystallize around the short sisal fibers, and by the fact that the two waxes have different compatibilities with LDPE. The TGA results show an increase in the thermal stability of the blends in the presence of the two waxes, with LDPE/OxWax showing a more significant improvement. The presence of wax, however, reduced the thermal stability of the LDPE/sisal/wax composites. The presence of OxWax and MA‐g‐wax similarly influenced the tensile properties of the composites. Both waxes similarly improved the modulus of the compatibilized composites, but in both cases the tensile strengths were worse, probably because of a fairly weak interaction between LDPE and the respective waxes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Characterization of Carnauba Wax Inorganic Content

In this work the analysis of inorganic elements (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na and Zn) in different types of carnauba waxes (types 1, 3 and 4) was implemented. The Box‐Behnken experimental design was used to optimize the digestion of the carnauba wax sample using a microwave‐assisted approach. The following parameters were evaluated: microwave power applied (600–1,000 W), time of microwave power application (5–20 min) and nitric acid volume (1–4 mL). The residual carbon content (%RCC) was measured by ICP OES (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry) to evaluate the efficiency of the digestion. The %RCC values in all of the experiments were below 16 %. The best conditions for carnauba wax digestion were found: 800 W applied power for 15 min using 2.5 mL of HNO₃. In these conditions the %RCC was lower than 4 %. The amounts of Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na and Zn in these samples were determined by ICP OES. The average contents of Al, Ca, Fe and K found in the carnauba wax type 1 were 28.6 ± 1.5, 33.8 ± 2.8, 18.5 ± 1.1 and 37.2 ± 2.5 mg kg^?1, respectively. For carnauba wax types 3 and 4 larger amounts were found. The principal components analysis (PCA) showed three groups of carnauba wax with the first two principal components.     

Wax and Fatty Acids from Rice Bran Oil Sludges

Sludges obtained as tank settlings from solvent-extracted rice bran oil have been shown to be rich sources of wax and fatty acids. The wax content is variable, being about 18% in one sample and about 39% in a second sample of sludge. The wax was bleached to light colour. The crude wax shows good compatibility with other types of waxes. The oil fraction of sludges is high in free fatty acids (over 70%), about three fourth of which could be vacuum-distilled directly to yield light-coloured fatty acids.     

Additional physical properties of diglyceride esters of succinic and adipic acids

Summary Diglycerides of the fat-forming acids yield, on esterification with succinic, adipie, and other shortchain dibasic acids, a poteutially useful series of compounds ranging from hard, high-melting waxes to viscous oils which will not crystallize. A number of the properties of these compounds were determined in carlier investigations. In the present investigation additional properties of the 1,3-diolein and 1,3-distearin esters of succinic and adipic acids were determined. Surface and interfacial tensions were measured and found to be similar to those of cottonseed oil. The smoke points also were found to be similar to that of cottonseed oil. The ability of the compounds to thicken cottouseed oil was measured and found to be somewhat better than that of highly hydrogenated cottonseed oil at levels above about 12%, and the mixtures were relatively resistant to fat leakage. In hardness the distearin esters of succinic and adipic acid were comparable to carnauba wax and were over twice as hard as highly hydrogenated cottonseed oil. Permeability to water vapor was found to be greater than that of highly hydrogenated cottonseed oil and carnauba wax and about equal to that of cocoa butter. Presented at the 33rd Fall Meeting, American Oil Chemists' Society, Los Angeles, Calif., September 28–30, 1959. One of the laboratories of the Southern Utilization Research and Development Division, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture.     

Phase Behavior of Binary Blends of Four Different Waxes

The objective of this study was to investigate the phase behavior of binary blends of four waxes—beeswax (BW), paraffin wax (PW), sunflower wax (SFW), and rice bran wax (RBW)—using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized light microscopy (PLM). Blends of BW/PW, RBW/PW, SFW/PW, SFW/RBW, SFW/BW, and RBW/BW were crystallized in a DSC, and their melting behavior was used to build binary phase diagrams. The microstructure of the crystalline networks formed in these blends was analyzed using PLM. BW/PW, SFW/PW, SFW/BW, and RBW/BW blends showed eutectic phase behavior, while RBW/SFW showed continuous solid solution and the RBW/PW blend showed monotectic behavior. Results from the box‐counting fractal dimension (D_b) measurement of crystal morphology showed higher D_b values for the 20 and 80 % wax blends, irrespective of crystallization temperature or wax type. D_b values of single waxes decrease as temperature increases.     

Wachse mit hoher Dispergierfähigkeit unter besonderer Berücksichtigung ihrer Eignung für die Herstellung von Kohlepapierfarbmassen

Waxes Having High Dispersibility and Special Consideration of Their Suitability in the Manufacture of Colouring Masses for Carbon Paper Increasing amounts of waxes having fundamentally different chemical composition are being used as dispersion aids. In the manufacture of colouring masses for carbon papers, the materials used as vehicle of the colour and as dispersing agent for carbon black are hydrocarbons, wax acids and their natural esters. Whereas low-priced paraffins are mainly used for cheap carbon papers meant for a single use, carnauba wax is used for better quality carbon papers which can be used several times. The latter wax is especially suited because of its carbon black-dispersing and oil-binding properties. Since crude montana wax does not have these properties to such an extent as the carnauba wax, it was attempted to improve the carbon black-dispersing and oil-binding of montana wax by chemical synthesis. This was achieved by reacting crude montana wax with maleic anhydride and subsequent esterification of the reaction products with glycols. The results were successfully applied to the solution of problems involving dispersion of pigments and plastic additives.     

The compositions of some unhydrolyzed naturally occurring waxes,calculated using functional group analysis and fractionation by molecular distillation,with a note on the saponification of carnauba wax and the composition of the resulting fractions

Summary Methods for the determination of acid, ester, hydroxyl, and ketone (or aldehyde) groups and of mean molecular weights of small samples of natural waxes are reported. Complete analyses can be made on 0.5 g. of sample. A simplified procedure for quantitative separation of acid and unsaponifiable fractions of a wax is also reported. Molecular distillations of beeswax, caranda wax, crude and refined candelilla wax, and ouricury wax, have fractionated these complex mixtures into simpler ones. Hydrocarbons and free unsubstituted alcohols and acids, if present, distil readily at 150°C. A pot still suitable for convenient molecular distillation of up to 100-g. charges of waxes or other high melting materials is described. A method for the calculation of composition of unhydrolyzed waxes based upon function group analysis of molecular distillation fractions is described. Results of application of this method to the waxes distilled are reported and show the ubiquitousness of hydroxy acids. All of the above waxes and carnauba wax contain major proportions of esters of the hydroxy acids, and none contains as much as one-half simple esters of unsubstituted acids and alcohols. A portion of a dissertation submitted by Thomas Wagner Findley to the Graduate School of the Ohio State University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree. S. C. Johnson and Son Inc. Fellow in Physiological Chemistry, 1946-50.     

Properties, composition, and analysis of grain sorghum wax

Grain sorghum wax has been judged to be a potential source of natural wax with properties similar to carnauba wax. Approximately 0.16–0.3% (w/w) wax can be extracted from grain sorghum depending on the efficiency of the organic solvents. Although the melting points of carnauba wax and sorghum wax are similar, i.e., 78–86 and 77–85°C, respectively, they differ in acid values, i.e., 2–10 and 10–16, respectively, and saponification numbers, i.e., 77–95 and 16–49, respectively. Improved knowledge of the properties, composition, and analysis of grain sorghum wax would assist in efforts for industrial application of this product. Major components of sorghum wax are hydrocarbons, wax esters, aldehydes, free fatty alcohols, and FFA. The hydrocarbons consist mainly of C₂₇ and C₂₉, and the aldehydes, alcohols, and acids are mainly C₂₈ and C₃₀. The wax esters are mostly esters of C₂₈ and C₃₀ alcohols and acids.