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Advanced technologies for food production, research and development, and quality assurance
During industrial food engineering processes, food materials often exhibit complex flow properties throughout the workflow. These processes include food product emulsification, filling, coating, shaping, pumping, and bottling. When evaluating these food materials, rheometers can determine key properties such as steady shear viscosity, yield stress, viscoelasticity, morphology, droplet size distribution and stringiness.
Twin-screw extruders can be utilized to help produce the food materials. Twin-screw extrusion processing is considered a key technology for continuous production, with a wide variety of applications such as development of plant-based meat alternatives, encapsulation of flavors, and mixing of active ingredients. It is widely recognized as an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly continuous production process. Moreover, extrusion features a high range of adjustable process parameters that offer great flexibility to develop many different types of products.
Extrusion
Food extrusion is a versatile and continuous manufacturing process that uses a combination of mechanical and thermal energy to produce a wide range of food products. It is a cost-effective technique for producing food, feed, additives, and flavors with high and consistent quality. Various extruder dies can be used to shape starch-based foods like pasta, cereals, snacks, and pet food, thus optimizing their texture. Other tools for extruded products help ensure light, crispy, crunchy textures with proper ingredient encapsulation.
Extrusion cooking combines multiple discrete operations in one cohesive piece of equipment. Through precise temperature control and mechanical energy from rotating screws, raw materials are transformed at a molecular level—proteins denature and polymerize; starches swell, rupture and become amorphized. This allows for the creation of innovative food and feed applications. The food extrusion process is key for the creation of complex products like meat analogues or snacks while preserving essential nutrients due to short, controlled cooking times.
Key technologies in food extrusion include:
- Mechanical energy: Rotating screws break down and uniformly mix the food material.
- Thermal processing: Heat cooks the food via electrical elements or steam.
- Pressure control: A screw and die design creates necessary pressure for shaping and texturizing.
- Moisture control: Water or steam adjusts moisture content for desired texture.
- Chemical reactions: Heat, shear, and pressure induce essential reactions for texture and flavor.
- Automation and control systems: Advanced systems monitor and adjust parameters in real time for consistent quality.
Overall, food extrusion technology efficiently produces diverse food products that can be customized with specific textures, shapes, and nutritional profiles.
Thermo Fisher Scientific’s lab-scale and pilot-scale extruders are highly beneficial for food development. They offer the same functionality as larger production equipment but are easier to handle, require less material for experiments, enable efficient and cost-effective trials, and save valuable laboratory space.
Rheology
Rheology is the study of the flow and deformation of matter, particularly focusing on the behavior of complex fluids and soft solids. It is used to measure the interrelations between composition and structure of food, determining attributes like texture, stability, and shelf life. Rheology also tracks changes in food properties during manufacturing, transportation, and storage. This includes food product emulsification, filling, coating, shaping, pumping and bottling processes. Rheometers can determine key properties such as steady shear viscosity and yield stress.
Key principles of rheology include:
- Viscosity: Measures a fluid's resistance to flow under shear stress.
- Elasticity: Measures a material's ability to return to its original shape after deformation.
- Shear stress and shear rate: Shear stress is the force per unit area applied parallel to the surface, while shear rate is the rate at which adjacent fluid layers move relative to each other.
- Yield stress: The minimum stress needed to make a material flow.
Food scientists use rheology to evaluate sensory properties, stability, and shelf life. The high flexibility of rheometers with a wide range of application-specific measuring cells for tribology, texture, powder, and interfacial analysis, or even combined optical methods, enables comprehensive characterization of products. Rheometers for advanced QC and applied R&D, like the Thermo Scientific HAAKE MARS platform allow for the measurement of a variety of properties through flexible instrument configurations. 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. Optical methods are used to observe the crystalline structures of starch or fat crystallization behavior which impact sensory properties as well as storage ability.
A comprehensive accessory portfolio for Thermo Scientific rheometers includes items like a tribology cell, which allows users to determine the lubrication properties of food products. This information helps in understanding how the product is perceived by the consumer during mastication and swallowing. Breaking tools are available to enable texture analysis, and accessories for interfacial measurements deliver insights into the stability of interfacial surfaces. Similar but distinct powder rheology measurements determine the flow and handling properties of powdered food, enhancing product quality and manufacturing efficiency in processes such as mixing, conveying, and packaging. A rheological characterization of powders ensures a uniform texture, taste, and nutrient content in final products and supports the optimization of flowability and compaction of powdered ingredients, which is crucial for accurate dosing and waste reduction.
Thermo Scientific rheometers
Thermo Scientific viscometers
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.