Scope and Limitations of Using Wax to Encapsulate Water-Soluble Compounds - Food Colloids: Self-Assembly and Material Science - page 105

Figure 1 Schematic representation of the main ester of the long-chain alcohol (C 30 ) and
fatty acid (C 16 ) found in beeswax. The angle between the alcohol and the fatty
acid chains is approximately 901

Table 1 The detection threshold of various particles in foods

Detecting Agent Particle and Medium Detection Threshold

( m m)

Teeth Aluminium trihydrate 5-15

Tongue Separate particles 13

Palate Hard, angular particles 11-22

Teeth Not stated 15

Palate Crystals 22

'Oral' Sugar crystals 22

Tongue Chocolate crystals 420% are 22 mm

Margarine fat (b 0 crystals)

Tongue 25

Tongue/palate Soft, round, biopolymer, 'flat' particles 80-100

'Oral' Average food particles at end of mastication 1-2

a guideline to define which range of particle sizes are needed to prevent such
texture defects.
We can conclude from Table 1 that (wax) particles need to be smaller than

B 25 mm. To reach such small sizes a preparation technique has been developed.

Results of this preparation technique are presented in this paper. Furthermore,
we will compare experimental data obtained using a technique described
previously, 15 and experimental data of the leakage of oil-soluble model com-
pounds from complex coacervate capsules, with model calculations. Finally, we
shall discuss the issues of wax digestibility, which could limit the acceptability
of wax as a wall material.