Food microstructure studies

CLSM is a relatively new method in food science. Several reviews discussing the application of this technique in microstructural studies of food products have been published recently (Heertje et al., 1987 Blonk and Vanaalst, 1993 Marangoni and Hartel, 1998). These reviews have shown the advantages of using CLSM over conventional techniques for study-... 

D.N. Holcomb and M. Kalab (eds.), Studies of Food Microstructure, Scanning Electron Microsc. (1981), 342pp. 

IMAGING TECHNIQUES FOR THE STUDY OF FOOD MICROSTRUCTURE A REVIEW... 

The microstructure of bread and other microporous foods can be conveniently studied by applying synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography (X-MT) (Falcone et al., 2004a Maire et al., 2003) to centimeter- or millimeter-sized samples (Lim and Barigou, 2004). X-MT application only requires the presence of areas of morphological or mass density heterogeneity in the sample materials. The use of this technique for food microstructure detection is of recent date. It was traditionally used for the analysis of bone quality (Peyrin et al., 1998, 2000 Ritman et al., 2002). 

Imaging Techniques for the Study of Food Microstructure A Review... 

Heertje, I. 1993. Microstructural studies in fat research. Food Struct. 12, 77-94. 

Lewis, D.F. 1981. The use of microscopy to explain the behaviour of foodstuffs. A review of work carried out at the Leatherhead Food Research Association, in Studies of Food Microstructure, Holcomb, D.N. and Kalab, M., Eds., Scanning Electron Microscopy, Inc., AMF, O Hare, IL, 25-39. 

James, B. J., Jing, Y, and Chen, X. D., Membrane fouling during filtration of milk—A microstructural study, J. Food Eng., 60,431,2003. 

Food microstructure is intimately related to its sensory properties, e.g., elasticity, firmness, smoothness, and juiciness. Proteins and carbohydrates form gels, the structures of which affect water- and fat-retention properties. Gel structures of various biopolymers (e.g., gluten, myosin, starch, glycogen) have been studied extensively. Fats and oils. 

Amend, X, Belitz, H.-D. Microstructural studies of gluten and a hypothesis on dough formation. Food Structure 10, 277 (1991)... 

Remondetto, G.E., Beyssac, E., Subirade, M. (2004). Influence of the microstructure of biodegradable whey protein hydrogels on iron release an in vitro study. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52, 8137-8143. 

On the strength of all the examples presented in this chapter, the reader should be convinced that variations in self-assembly of food biopolymers in aqueous media can have an enormous influence on food colloid stability, rheology and microstructure. It therefore seems reasonable to infer that further study and understanding of the molecular mechanisms of self-assembly and interactions of biopolymers in aqueous solution should provide increased opportunities for the creation of new classes of structured soft materials with potential application for incorporation in a wide range of new food and pharmaceutical products. 

The explosive advancements in NMR technology in recent years have dramatically expanded the avenues and techniques available. NMR techniques for the study of food range from in-line/on-line oil and water analysis, to characterization and authentification of foods and beverages, water relations in foods and biological tissues, mobility of water in food and to probing microstructure of food. The applications of NMR techniques in food research were recently reviewed [2,3]. 

Texture is an important parameter in determining the consumer s acceptance of dairy-based foods. Therefore, formulating and processing products with desirable attributes is key. Establishing relationships between milk fat composition, crystallization behavior, microstructure, and mechanical properties is therefore important. The following case studies will demonstrate how such links can be explored and the benefits of taking a holistic approach to understanding the behavior and properties of milk fat. 

In the study of food texture, attention is given to two interdependent areas the flow and deformation properties and the macro-and microstructure. The study of food texture is important for three reasons ... 

Finally, the crystalline microstructure in many foods is not the only microstructural element of interest. Often crystal dispersions are found alongside other structures, such as air cells, fat globules, protein micelles, liquid crystals, and others. The interactions among these structural elements will be the focus of future studies in complex foods. 

Caldwell, K.B., H.D. Goff, and D.W. Stanley, A Low-Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy Study of Ice Cream. I. Techniques and General Microstructure, Food Struc. II 1-9(1992),... 

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