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Food Engineering
Food research and development using rheology to determine the sensory attributes of food.
The increasing demand for healthier and more convenient foods, agriculture-based products, and new varieties of food products requires an intense evaluation of the sensory attributes of food. Will consumers like the texture of a product with reduced fat content? How does the food feel in my mouth? Is it easy to chew? What impact will it have on consumers' swallowing behavior?
Rheology is used to measure the interrelations between composition and structure of food which determines such attributes. It also measures changes in food properties that arise during manufacturing, transportation and storage.
Research and development rheometers like the Thermo Scientific HAAKE MARS Platform allow you to measure a wide range of attributes through flexible instrument configurations including the combination of two different analytical methods. Combining rheology with optical systems such as microscopy or spectroscopy offers the advantage of being able to understand changes in physical properties and structure at the same time.
For instance, optical methods are used to observe the crystalline structures of starch or fat crystallization behavior which impact sensory properties as well as storage ability. Accessories like the tribology cell allow the study of friction on interacting surfaces. Breaking tools are available to enable texture analysis, and accessories for interfacial measurements deliver insights into the stability of interfacial surfaces.
Featured products for rheological analysis in oral food processing
Advance your QA/QC measurements to the next level with Thermo Scientific HAAKE MARS iQ Rotational Rheometer. Measure the viscoelastic properties of foodstuffs like apple sauce and peanut butter to assess texture, mouthfeel, spreadability and more. This modular rheometer offers a range of accessories to help evaluate and verify liquid and semi-solid food formulations throughout the product life-cycle (from production to storage to consumption).
Read the application note Rheological and Textural Properties of Various Food Formulations Analyzed with a Modular Rheometer Setup.
Extrusion processes are common in the development and production of food products. Through carefully chosen processing parameters, they determine texture, shape, and even influence flavor or color. They also provide a crucial support role in the production of new food products such as meat and cheese analogues. Highly flexible, easy-to-clean, and intuitive extruders such as the Thermo Scientific Process 11 Parallel Twin-screw Extruder are ideal tools to enhance your food extrusion processes.
Video spotlight: Features and Details of the HAAKE MARS Rheometer
Guide to Skilled Food Rheology & Extrusion
Understand what to measure in your food development and processing workflows, and which tools are best to measure it.
Explore two collections of scientific application notes, interactive resources and articles that cover enhancing food properties via rheological measurements and the development of foods via extrusion.
The next “best-selling” food product
When it comes to the formulation of a new food product, food engineers have to keep in mind the lifetime of a food product. It starts with the variety of food ingredients and their origin. Then comes the design of an efficient production process involving various steps such as mixing, pumping, cooking, filling and storage behavior. That is followed by end-use application settings such as spreading, scooping or storage behavior, and finally the sensory perception of consumers which includes mouthfeel and swallowing quality.
Learn how rheological properties such as viscosity, yield stress, time and temperature dependent, or elongation behavior are linked to processing and sensory behavior. With Thermo Scientific rheometers, you have efficient tools at hand to investigate your next food products.