Category - Food Physics Basics

distillation stages
Food Physics Basics

The science of distilling liquors

We know how to make spirits (we discussed that here), and we know that to make spirits (or liquors) you need to distill fermented grains. Distillation isn’t just used in spirits production though. It is one of any...

March 19, 2019
6 min read
sedimentation experiment chocolate milk 10 min
Food Physics Basics

Chocolate milk & Sedimentation

Nothing fits a good wintery day better than a warm chocolate milk, don’t you agree? The heat of the milk warms you up just a little and it gives you enough of a boost of energy to get going again. It’s a...

July 7, 2018
9 min read
olive oil ice cream, super smooth

Freezing point depression (in ice cream)

Why is an ice cube rock solid whereas a scoop of Italian gelato is almost liquid like? Even a ‘simple’ popsicle isn’t as hard as a  pure water ice cube. Instead you can bite some off quite easily...

November 12, 2017
7 min read
Comparing flow of ketchup, syrup and water

An introduction to food rheology

Within the food industry it is very important to understand how your food will behave. Will it be deformed (too) easily (a muffin), will it flow through a pipe (a pasta sauce), will it stay on your product (caramel...

August 6, 2017
9 min read

Water activity in food – The theory

For any food scientist or someone who’s involved in determining shelf life and quality of foods, the concept of water activity should be familiar. It plays a huge role in whether or not a product will still be...

July 31, 2017
9 min read
fruity crumble with ice cream
vegetables

Phase diagrams – Demystifying ice cream

When you’re eating your ice cream, your caramel or a nice piece of fudge you might not realize that you’re actually consuming a scientifically highly complex product! The interactions between concentrations...

August 8, 2016
5 min read
vegetables

Freezing point of caramel

Not too long ago I got a question from someone who wanted to know the freezing point of caramel. Thinking about it, caramel in ice creams are just about always soft… This got me interested, because answering this...

June 30, 2016
6 min read