Structured food products development

The second challenge is to relate the desired product attributes to the material properties of the ingredients and the structure of the product. For example, the development process would have been much more efficient if a model was available to describe the behavior of cleansing bars and structured food products. Without the benefits of predictive models, as is the present status for many consumer products, extensive trial-and-error by experiments are required. Even if a comprehensive model based on first principles is not available, a combination of physical insights and heuristics can still help improve the development process. Chapters 1-2 report some new developments in this area. See also [11] for a more detailed discussion on the issues and needs related to the roles and uses of property models in product design. 

Responsibility to develop appropriate food products with balanced functionality and nutritional value has shifted, then, from domestic kitchens to the development laboratories of food manufacturing companies. A purpose of this chapter, as such, is to provide food product developers with a bit more depth of information to enhance their perception of the appropriate use and application of monosaccharide sugars and polyols in the development of new food products. Applications should reflect the chemistry of these materials, as well as the chemical composition of the other ingredients in the product and their interactions [2]. Included in this chapter is information on applications and nutrition, as well as background on regulatory requirements and use. Illustrations of structures have been minimized and simplified in order to focus on more practical aspects of the discussion. 

Natural herbicides produced by microorganisms have had a profound influence on world agriculture. Many species of higher plants have survived the ages because of their ability to detoxify or avoid the toxic effects of these compounds, and extensive effort has gone into the commercial breeding of other species to develop these abilities. Still, the structural variety of natural herbicides appears to be so great that their effects are still of major concern in food production. 

Herbicides, used to kill or damage a plant, are the most rapidly growing segment of pesticides. Prior to the 1930s, herbicides were non-specific and often very toxic to humans as well as other animals. In the 1930s, in parallel with the development of new insecticides, researchers discovered several chemicals that selectively killed plants. These chemicals are now widely used to increase food production and have been used in warfare. Herbicides come in a variety of chemical structures and mechanisms of action, so they will be discussed in only general terms. Interested readers are referred to the many web sites and extensive literature on herbicides (see below and the presentation). 

Over the last few decades scientist have developed sensory testing from the earliest individual examinations into a formalised, structured and codified methodology. Subsequently, sensory tests have become valuable, important and precise tools in quality control, which are equivalent to the physical and chemical methods used. However, sensory testing is not only a tool in quality assurance, but also in grading, product development and marketing, as well as for the correlation between specific chemical/physical properties of a food and the effect on the human sensorial perception. 

Many food products (salad dressings, whipped toppings, ice cream etc.) are dispersed colloid systems, such as emulsions, suspensions or foams. Texture, structure and stability of these dispersions have fundamental importance for the food manufacturer. Our chapter presents new methods, most of them developed in our laboratory, and mechanisms which can be very helpful for the food researcher or developer. 

Electron microscopy in both its transmission and scanning inodes has been the technique of choice for the vast majority of literature studies, particularly structural studies [see compilations in 17,18,19]. Other reviews and texts which cover the techniques of microscopy used in Food Science include Aguilera and Stanley [2] and the earlier work of Vaughan [25]. In addition to covering many of the current uses of microscopy in Food Science the former book [2] covers the histoiy of food microscopy and an introduction to the major microscopy instruments. It also presents the information in such a manner as to demonstrate how microscopy can be a useful tool in food science for both the product developer and the basic food scientist. 

The enzymatic branch of protein functional investigations is significant, not only for the basic scientific knowledge it imparts which helps clarify biological processes, but also because, by elucidating how catalytic functions depend on specific protein structures, more useful and more powerful enzymatic processes might be developed for food production... 

Notwithstanding all the limitations involved, the continuous improvement in precision and reproducibility of physical measurement equipment that relate to parameters perceived by human subjects make their use straightforward and they can provide consistent results. It is important to keep in mind that although instruments allow precise and objective measurements if applied to whole foods, they only can account for the initial structural properties contributing to texture perception. A correlative approach using sensory and instrumental techniques is often necessary. Indeed, there is no reason to determine accurately a mechanical property if it is not relevant to human sensory perception. Sensory methods become essential when calibrating instrumental equipment and are fundamental in product development, especially at early stages. 

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