Advanced food process engineering to model real foods and processes: The “SAFES” methodology

Analysis of Apple Candying by Microwave Spectroscopy

Process control in the industry requires fast, safe and easily applicable methods. In this sense, the use of dielectric spectroscopy in the microwave range can be a great opportunity to monitor processes in which the mobility and quantity of water is the main property to produce a quality and safety product. The candying of fruits is an operation in which the samples are first osmotically dehydrated and then exposed to a hot air-drying operation. This process produces changes in both the structure of the tissue and the relationships between water, the solid matrix and the added soluble solids. The aim of this paper is to develop a dielectric tool to predict the water/sucrose states throughout the candying of apple, by considering the complexity of the tissue and describing the different transport phenomena and the different transition processes of the sucrose inside the sample.

Stabilising emulsion-based colloidal structures with mixed food ingredients

The physical scientist views food as a complex form of soft matter. The complexity has its origin in the numerous ingredients that are typically mixed together and the subtle variations in microstructure and texture induced by thermal and mechanical processing. The colloid science approach to food product formulation is based on the assumption that the major product attributes such as appearance, rheology and physical stability are determined by the spatial distribution and interactions of a small number of generic structural entities (biopolymers, particles, droplets, bubbles, crystals) organised in various kinds of structural arrangements (layers, complexes, aggregates, networks). This review describes some recent advances in this field with reference to three discrete classes of dispersed systems: particle-stabilised emulsions, emulsion gels and aerated emulsions. Particular attention is directed towards explaining the crucial role of the macromolecular ingredients (proteins and polysaccharides) in controlling the formation and stabilisation of the colloidal structures. The ultimate objective of this research is to provide the basic physicochemical insight required for the reliable manufacture of novel structured foods with an appealing taste and texture, whilst incorporating a more healthy set of ingredients than those found in many existing traditional products.