Monoacylglycerols and diacylglycerols for fat-based food products: a review

The flexibility of monoacylglycerol (MAG) and diacylglycerol (DAG) attracted the attention of researchers to learn more about MAG and DAG in food science and technology. The objective of this paper is to serve a review or summarize the production (especially enzymatic glycerolysis), characteristics, and application of MAG and DAG, especially for fat-based products. The characteristic of MAG and DAG related to melting and crystallization properties, polymorphism, microstructure, and rheology are presented and discussed. The applications of MAG and DAG include their use as fats/oils rich in MAG and DAG, margarine/shortening, surfactant/emulsifier, and organogels are also provided. Various studies have shown that MAG and DAG can improve the characteristics of various fat-based food products.