B. Colas

Crispness: a critical review on sensory and material science approaches

Abstract Many texture studies have been published on crispness because of the great interest of consumers towards crispy foods. This work reviews the existing literature on the topic, and especially the different approaches, instrumental and sensory, applied to study crispness. These studies result in a wide range of data but, because crispness is not a clearly defined sensory attribute, the conclusions that can be drawn from these studies should be carefully examined. The physical basis for crispness are discussed and the role of structure, hydration and ingredients on crispness and its stability are presented.

Interactions between Whey Proteins and Lipids in Emulsions

Publisher Summary Many of the oil-in-water emulsions produced by the food industry are stabilized by milk proteins. However, the mechanism for emulsion stabilization remains only partially understood. Interactions between proteins and lipids in emulsions are revealed by a change in the mobility of lipid molecules dispersed in solution or incorporated in oil droplets. This chapter presents a study to discuss interactions between proteins and lipids in emulsions and two paramagnetic fatty acids homologues were selected in the study. The study has measured (i) the relative affinities of the whey protein components for the paramagnetic fatty acids, (ii) the amount and nature of the proteins adsorbed on the oil droplets, and (iii) the emulsifying properties of these proteins. The results obtained in the study conclude that in emulsions stabilized by whey proteins: (1) milk proteins and lipids interact preferentially through their polar groups; (2) the polar and very accessible amino-acid residues of the protein participate in the interaction; (3) the milk proteins can be depicted as adsorbing on the fat droplets without affecting the major features of the lipid organization; and (4) the affinity of β-lactoglobulin for fatty acids is higher than the affinity of α-lactalbumin. No close correlation was found between the affinity of the proteins for the lipids and the emulsifying properties of the proteins.