Plant wax crystals display platelet-like morphology

Publication date: Available online 7 February 2015 Source:Food Structure Author(s): Alexia I. Blake , Alejandro G. Marangoni Cryogenic scanning electron microscopy was used to image de-oiled 2% rice bran wax, sunflower wax, and candelilla wax oleogels. Contrary to previous reports on the morphology of plant-based waxes, all three species appear as platelets. These findings contest previous theories about the dependency of oil gelation on a needle-like morphology and development of an entangled network, and suggest that surface effects such as surface area and surface roughness may contribute to oil binding capacity. Graphical abstract

Source: Food Structure - February 7, 2015 Category: Food Science Source Type: research