Carnauba-beeswax oleogel coatings with rosemary extract as an active system for safer fried chicken

Reducing oil uptake, retaining moisture, minimizing oxidative rancidity, and mitigating toxic compounds, such as advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), have become major priorities in the food industry. Herein, this study aimed to evaluate carnauba (3% w/w) and beeswax (2% w/w) oleogels enriched with rosemary extract (RE, 0.5–2% v/v) as edible coatings to improve food quality and safety. Using colorimetric and oil binding capacity (OBC) analyses, we showed that the addition of RE to the oleogel significantly increased the b* value, indicating greater yellowness ( p < 0.05), while OBC remained relatively high at 96–100% with no significant difference among treatments ( p > 0.05). Similarly, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed a decrease in melting enthalpy at the higher-temperature peak (from 1.99 J/g in OG to 1.10 J/g at 2% RE). Rheology analysis showed solid-like behavior (G′ > G″) in all samples. Proximate analysis showed improved moisture retention and reduced oil uptake, while peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) analyses indicated reduced lipid oxidation. In addition, the coated samples showed significant reductions in 5-HMF, and AGEs indicators such as Nε-carboxymethyllysine (CML), and Nε-carboxyethyllysine (CEL) ( p < 0.05). Sensory analysis using the nine-point hedonic test showed values greater than 5.0. Collectively, our results demonstrated that RE-enriched oleogel is an optimal strategy for preserving the quality of fried foods while maintaining sensory acceptability.