In this month’s edition of Nature Materials, Profs Raffaele Mezzenga and Peter Schurtenberger from Fribourg’s University and Drs Adam Burbidge and Martin Michel from Nestlé Research Center describe the use of modern physics for the understanding and design of food products. The contribution will be available on the Nature Materials Internet site at: http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/v4/n10/index.html
Scientists from Nestlé Research Center in collaboration with the Physics Department of the University of Fribourg describe the basic laws ruling the physics of foods and the influence of food structure on taste, perception and health. By using model systems, they draw analogies between Food Science and Soft Condensed Matter Physics in order to understand and design food functionalities.
The authors explain that molecules, macromolecules and colloids have always self-assembled, aggregated and blended in nature, long before man started to understand the underlying principles. Foods are an illustrative example of how complex the physics can get in real systems. However, direct analogies with simpler model systems such as synthetic polymers or colloids can greatly help the understanding of key parameters and fundamental laws which control food materials and their properties.
Soft Condensed Matter Physics will contribute to the understanding of physical properties of natural proteins, lipids, polysaccharides and colloids such as casein micelles in milk. Application of this knowledge will allow the Nestlé food scientists to design new food structure and processes, to further improve quality and health related food attributes such as texture, flavour profiles and the targeted delivery of functional molecules, which are beneficial to health.
- Reference:
- “Understanding Foods as Soft Materials” by Raffaele Mezzenga, Peter Schurtenberger, Adam Burbidge & Martin Michel – Nature Materials, 4, 729, 2005
- For more information, please contact:
- Ms H. van der Kaaij, Communication Group, Nestlé Research Center, Tel.: 0041-21-785 95 57, e-mail : hengameh.vanderkaaij@rdls.nestle.com
- Prof. Raffaele Mezzenga, Nestlé Research Center Tel.: 0041-079-201 99 53, e-mail : raffaele.mezzenga@rdls.nestle.com or raffaele.mezzenga@unifr.ch