Glass Transition and Food Technology: A Critical Appraisal

ABSTRACT: Most low water content or frozen food products are partly or fully amorphous. This review will discuss the extent to which it is possible to understand and predict their behavior during processing and storage, on the basis of glass transition temperature values (Tg) and phenomena related to glass transition. Two main conclusions are provisionally proposed. Firstly, glass transition cannot be considered as an absolute threshold for molecular mobility. Transport of water and other small molecules takes place even in the glassy state at a significant rate, resulting in effective exchange of water in multi-domains foods or sensitivity to oxidation of encapsulated materials. Texture pr…

Temperature effect on solubility of aroma compounds in various aqueous solutions

International audience; Solubility of nine aroma compounds (methyl ketones, ethyl esters, aldehyde and alcohol) in various aqueous solutions was measured by the mutual solubility method from -10 to +10degreesC. Influence of both, the nature (carbohydrates and polyols) and the substrate concentration (from 0 to 57.5g/100g) on aroma solubility in aqueous solutions was studied. Aroma solubility in water decreased when aroma hydrophobicity increased. Aroma solubility in various aqueous solutions decreased when substrate concentration increased; their solubility was higher in polyols solutions than in polysaccharides ones. Temperature effect on aroma solubility showed a noncontinuous evolution f…

Influence of drug polarity upon the solid-state structure and release properties of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems in relation with water affinity.

To overcome low oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs, self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) have been noted as a promising strategy. However, incorporation of drugs into SEDDS composed of Gelucire44/14 could induce interactions not yet well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of drug polarity upon the solid-state structure of SEDDS formulation, particularly in terms of wettability, thermal behaviour and microscopic aspects and their effect upon the release properties of the SEDDS. Model drugs were naproxen and sodium naproxen (10% w/w), two drugs with similar chemical structure but different water solubilities. Both drugs had an effect o…

Characterization of water mobility in dry and wetted roasted coffee using low-field proton nuclear magnetic resonance

Abstract Roasted and ground coffee was studied by low-field 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance at various water contents and temperatures. The spin–spin relaxation times ( T 2 ) were measured with single pulse free induction decay (FID) and Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill (CPMG) sequences. Four relaxing components were distinguished: the solid population was observed with FID sequence at T 2s ∼9 μs; the other three populations, measured with the CPMG sequence, corresponded to an apolar phase, the coffee oil, and two polar phases. The two polar populations, observed at T 2m ∼6 ms and ∼27 ms (for coffee with 50% water content at 90 °C) were attributed to water in cell wall polymers and in water filling…

Exopolysaccharide produced by Weissella confusa: Chemical characterisation, rheology and bioactivity

Abstract The purpose of this study was to characterise the production of exopolysaccharide (EPS) by indigenous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from traditional Algerian dairy products and to evaluate their possible use in agri-foods. Among the collection of isolated strains, the strain Weissella confusa (W4) was selected for its ability to produce EPS once exposed to a sucrose culture medium. EPS produced were first isolated with a standardised method and further characterised in terms of molecular size, antioxidant activity, and rheological properties. Its direct implication in the texture and syneresis of acid milk gel was evaluated offering interesting industrial applications for its…

Effect of plasticizers (water and glycerol) on the diffusion of a small molecule in iota-carrageenan biopolymer films for edible coating application.

Translational diffusion of a fluorescein probe has been measured in iota-carrageenan edible films containing different amounts of glycerol (0, 15, 30, and 45%), using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiments. The effects of this plasticizer as well as the plasticizing effect of water on the diffusion of fluorescein have been studied in this edible coating mainly composed of natural biopolymer. Diffusion coefficients of about 10(-13) m2 s(-1) have been measured in these films for water activity (aw) lower than 0.7. Above this water content threshold, fluorescein translational diffusion coefficient increases up to 10(-12) m2 s(-1). Another interesting information obtained…

The role of water in bacteria spore resistance

Impact of sucrose and water contents on macroscopic structure and stability of cereal based products : Thermodynamic versus dynamic

No abstract

Direct investigation of viscosity of an atypical inner membrane of Bacillus spores: A molecular rotor/FLIM study

Abstract We utilize the fluorescent molecular rotor Bodipy-C12 to investigate the viscoelastic properties of hydrophobic layers of bacterial spores Bacillus subtilis. The molecular rotor shows a marked increase in fluorescence lifetime, from 0.3 to 4 ns, upon viscosity increase from 1 to 1500 cP and can be incorporated into the hydrophobic layers within the spores from dormant state through to germination. We use fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy to visualize the viscosity inside different compartments of the bacterial spore in order to investigate the inner membrane and relate its compaction to the extreme resistance observed during exposure of spores to toxic chemicals. We demonstr…

Influence of water, temperature and sucrose on dynamics in glassy starch-based products studied by low field 1H NMR

Abstract In this study, the influence of both water content and temperature on the mobility of glassy starch-based matrices (starch alone or mixed with sucrose at the ratio 0% to 20% db) were studied using time domain 1 H NMR. The 2nd moment M 2 , and transversal relaxation time T 2 ∗ were used to study the molecular mobility of the rigid and mobile fraction of the NMR signal, respectively. The molecular mobility of the protons constituting the samples increased with water content (up to 13% wb) at all temperatures. For a given water content, both rigid and mobile protons exhibited a lower mobility in the presence of sucrose. When mobility characteristic parameters, M 2 second moment values…

Saturated vapour pressure of aroma compounds at various temperatures

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine experimentally the vapour pressures of aroma compounds at various temperatures, especially at negative ones. The aroma compounds were: acetone, 2-butanone, 2-hexanone, 2-octanone, ethyl acetate, ethyl butanoate, ethyl hexanoate, n-hexanal, n-hexanol and γ-hexalactone. The technique used was a static device where vapour pressure was measured at equilibrium. The temperatures of analysis varied from −40 to 25 °C. Volatility of a pure compound depends on characteristics such as length of the aliphatic chain, the functional group and temperature. Among an homologous series, volatility increases when the aliphatic chain decreases and when temperatur…

Wetting properties at the surface of iota-carrageenan-based edible films

International audience; Surface properties of edible films composed of a polymeric matrix of carrageenan in association with hydrophobic material were studied by contact angle measurements. The use of this technique not only in a static mode but also in a dynamic way enables investigation of surface hydrophobicity as well as surface wettability. The absorption flux inside the material can be estimated from the wetting kinetic, which can be very useful to quickly compare water barrier efficiency of the tested films. Comparison of carrageenan films with films containing known amounts of additives enables understanding and correlation of changes of the surface properties with the nature of use…

Translational diffusion coefficients of volatile compounds in various aqueous solutions at low and subzero temperatures.

International audience; Translational diffusion coefficients (D(12)) of volatile compounds were measured in model media with the profile concentration method. The influence of sample temperature (from 25 to -10 degrees C) was studied on translational diffusion in sucrose or maltodextrin solutions at various concentrations. Results show that diffusivity of volatile compounds in sucrose solutions is controlled by temperature, molecule size, and the viscosity of the liquid phase as expected with the Stokes-Einstein equation; moreover, physicochemical interactions between volatile compounds and the medium are determinant for diffusion estimation. At negative temperature, the winding path induce…

Reaction Rate Modeling in Cryoconcentrated Solutions: Alkaline Phosphatase Catalyzed DNPP Hydrolysis

The hydrolysis of disodium p-nitrophenyl phosphate catalyzed by alkaline phosphatase was chosen as a model to study the kinetics of changes in frozen food products. The initial reaction rate was determined in concentrated sucrose solutions down to -24 degrees C, and the enzymatic characteristics K(M) and V(max) were calculated. The experimental data were compared to the kinetics predicted by assuming that the reaction was viscosity dependent. Indeed, an analysis of the enzymatic reaction demonstrated that both the diffusion of the substrate and the flexibility of the enzyme segments were controlled by the high viscosity of the media. When the temperature was too low for the viscosity to be …

Dielectric spectroscopy measurements of the sub-Tg relaxations in amorphous ethyl cellulose: A relaxation magnitude study

Amorphous ethyl cellulose exhibits three secondary relaxations at temperatures below its glass transition. The fitted parameters that describe these processes and the comparison with other polysaccharides allow to ascribe the relaxations to lateral groups on one hand and to local main chain motion on the other hand. Their contributions to the dielectric constant overlap and induce a broad dielectric losses peak. The amplitude of one of these relaxations is found to decrease regularly with time. It is believed it comes from a gradual change of the polar groups chemical environment that constrains their motion.

Aroma Volatility from Aqueous Sucrose Solutions at Low and Subzero Temperatures

International audience; The gas-liquid partition coefficients of ethyl acetate and ethyl hexanoate have been measured in water and aqueous sucrose solutions from 25 to -10 degrees C by dynamic headspace. Experiments were carried out on sucrose solutions at temperatures where no ice formation was possible. Results showed that when sucrose concentration increased, aroma volatility increased except for ethyl hexanoate and in the highest sucrose concentration solution (57.5%). A quasi-linear temperature decrease on aroma volatility was observed in sucrose solutions from 25 to around 4 and 0 degrees C. Then, from 0 to -10 degrees C, aroma volatility did not decrease: ethyl acetate volatility rem…

Étude d'un procédé de traitement innovant des fibres de chanvre sous condition de fluide supercritique et propriétés induites

International audience

Beyond Biodegradability of Poly(lactic acid): Physical and Chemical Stability in Humid Environments

International audience; Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is the most traded biodegradable and biobased material. It is largely used as ecofriendly substitute of conventional plastics. Nevertheless, one of the main limiting factors is its water sensitivity. PLA reacts with water and is hydrolyzed during time, which determines its performance. Limited information related to the hydrolysis mechanism driven by water in vapor state is available in scientific literature. Literature is mainly focused on the effects of water in liquid state. This lack of information is of significant importance, since PLA interacts with water in both phases. This work was aimed to give a full depiction of the chemical and p…

Ascorbic Acid Oxidation in Sucrose Aqueous Model Systems at Subzero Temperatures

The reduction of Tempol by ascorbic acid in concentrated sucrose solutions was measured by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) at temperatures ranging from 16 to −16 °C. This method allowed the determination of the rate constants (k) of this fast reaction, by recording the Tempol reduction as a function of time. The two reactants were initially separated and had to migrate for the reaction to occur. The experimental findings were compared with predicted values according to the equation for diffusion-controlled reaction proposed by Atkins. The experimental reaction rate constants were observed to be lower than the calculated ones. However, the experimental values were found to be controlle…

Water in Dairy Products | Analysis and Measurement of Water Activity

Water activity of a system (aw) is a thermodynamic concept used to characterize the contained water. It has been considered, in spite of some limitations, as the most important parameter in food technology for the past 50 years. It can be measured by the ratio (p/p0) of the water vapor pressure in the atmosphere at equilibrium with the material to the saturated vapor pressure of pure water at the same temperature, or by the physical properties related to it (freezing point depression, mechanical/electrical properties). Although the physical/chemical mechanisms responsible for the depression of aw as compared to that of pure water are more or less identified, the expressions describing the r…

Measurement of white wines resistance against oxidation by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy

International audience; Free radical theory of aging hypothesizes that oxygen-derived radicals are responsible for the storage-related flavor instability in wine. In an optimal situation, a balanced-distribution exists between oxidants and antioxidants among wines intrinsic/extrinsic metabolites. Based on the kinetic study of POBN-1-hydroxyethyl spin adduct (POBN-1-HER) formation in wines initiated via the Fenton reaction, a novel tool based on EPR spin trapping methodology was developed to quantify wines resistance against oxidation. Antioxidant capacities of wines were evaluated according to POBN-1-HER maximum signal intensity (Imax POBN-1-HER) and rate formation (r(POBN-1-HER)) kinetic p…

Effects of the nature and concentration of substrates in aqueous solutions on the solubility of aroma compounds

The solubility of nine aroma compounds (acetone, 2-butanone, 2-hexanone, 2-octanone, ethyl acetate, ethyl butanoate, ethyl hexanoate, n-hexanal, and n-hexanol) in both water and various aqueous solutions was measured at 25 °C using the mutual solubility method. The aqueous solutions consisted of sucrose, glucose, sorbitol, glycerol, polyethylene glycol 200, or maltodextrins at different concentrations. Aroma solubility in water decreased with increased hydrophobicity. For aroma molecules which have the same number of carbon atoms in their structure, aqueous solubility decreased as follows: aldehyde > methyl ketone > alcohol > ethyl ester. When using a group contribution method, the estimate…