Food Microstructure: An Integrative Approach

Authors

E. A. Davis
J. Gordon

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

The integration of information at all levels of organization in a food system - atomic and molecular through macroscopic properties is illustrated with cake batters as an example of a formulated food and bovine muscle as an example of a biologically intact, non-formulated food. Direct examples are given using macroscopic data collected in heat and water transport studies followed by integration of microscopical data for interpretive purposes.

The contribution of starch gelatinization to the characteristics of water loss in batter is related to events such as loss of brief ringence as seen by polarizing microscopy , differential heat input as seen by scanning calorimetry , batter component morphological changes as seen by freeze etch, viscosity differences as characterized by viscometric d a t a , and volume differences of the final baked product. The contribution of myofibrillar protein denaturation to the characteristics of water loss by drip and evaporation is r elated to events such as changes in sarcomere banding patterns and length as seen by transmission electron microscopy, differential heat input as seen by scanning calorimetry , and by over all muscle sample length shrink.

Recommended Citation

Davis, E. A. and Gordon, J. (1982) "Food Microstructure: An Integrative Approach," Food Structure: Vol. 1: No. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/foodmicrostructure/vol1/iss1/2