The scientific aim of the Food Colloids 2006 conference is to discuss how the properties of food dispersion, emulsions, foams or gels can be described by concepts used in Material Science or Soft Condensed Matter Physics. A major goal of this science area is to understand the formation processes, structure, and functional properties of supramolecular systems that play an important role in real life. This implies the probing and understanding of structure formation and dynamical properties at the mesoscopic scale of soft materials, such as colloids, polymers or surfactants (e.g., Self-Assembly systems), i.e., materials which are easily deformable by external stresses or even thermal fluctuations.
The practical aim is to be able to control the quality of food products, such as taste, texture, colour, shelf life or their nutritional value, and to give guidelines of how to formulate new structures of high quality by using Material Science concepts. Synthetic, biological and food materials will be discussed ranging from model systems through to specific biological or food problems.
The 5 main themes of the Food Colloids 2006 conference will be:
1. Material Science Concepts in Food
2. Self-Assembly in Food
3. Colloidal Aspects of Nutrition
4. Understanding Electrostatic Interactions in Foods
5. Particles at Interfaces