Preliminary Results for Improving the Colloidal Stability of Sunflower Tahini and Halva Products by Wax Based Oleogelation Mechanism

Halva is a confectionery product based on nougat and different oilseeds paste called tahini.  The oil separation during storage has been considered a normal and natural phenomenon, but current trends consider this process a defect that gives a depreciated commercial appearance. Thus, the aim of this work was to assess the influence of edible waxes addition on the stability, textural changes, and sensorial acceptance of sunflower halva. Firstly, tahini samples containing several waxes (sunflower, carnauba, rice bran and beeswax) in different concentrations (1%, 2%, 3%) were prepared and their textural parameters and colloidal stability (CS) during storage was determined. The samples (excepting the 1% containing beeswax) demonstrated higher CS (p<0.05) as compared to the reference  prepared without wax. The main effects: wax type and storage time, accounted 51.64%, and 18.58%, respectively of the tahini CS variability. When it comes for the halva, the CS of all samples containing different waxes (excepting the sample with 1% beeswax) showed statistically significant (p<0.05) higher values in comparison to the reference which registered the lowest CS (94.06%).