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Category Food Science Basics
Understanding food production, whether it’s at home are in a factory, starts with science. Once you have a grasp on some of the more basic science concepts, which you can find below, a whole new world opens up!
How Liquor is Distilled – Raoult’s Law
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 chemical engineer’s…
The Science of Lactic Acid Fermentation in Food
Yogurt, sauerkraut, pickles, none of these products would exist without lactic acid fermentation. This is a series of chemical reactions that transforms your ingredients into something pretty different (and delicious) thanks to lactic acid bacteria. In this post we’ll explore…
The Science of Ice Cream – Freezing Point Depression
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. Isn’t that…
What Are Emulsifiers and What is Their Function in Food?
Ever tried to make a simple dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar? Noticed that it’s impossible to keep these two mixed without continuously stirring or adding something like mustard? Wondered how food manufacturers are able to do this? If…
Hydrophilicity vs. Hydrophobicity – Importance of Water in Food
Sometimes a term might be so familiar to you that you use it all the time, whereas another person, who doesn’t know that term, has no idea what you’re talking about. When talking about science that can be quite a…
How to Draw Molecules & Structural Formulas for Food Components
Imagine having the pages of a book, but having no clue in which order they should go. Or having a recipe with only an ingredient list, no instructions on how to make the food. Or having an IKEA cupboard, with…
An Introduction to Food Rheology – the Flow of Material
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 topping…
What Is Extraction? – the Theory and How It’s Applied to Food
After writing about making your own extracts (vanilla & orange/lemon) and how to use these it is time we start talking more hard core science. What is extraction from a chemists perspective? And is there something we can calculate here?…
An Introduction to Good & Bad Microorganisms in Food
Food Science is at the heart of this blog, however, in most cases we’ll be applying food science, assuming you’ve got a basic understanding of the food science concepts. Realizing that not everyone knows these basics, we’ve got a series…
An Introduction to Chemical Reactions (in Food)
Why does red cabbage turn blue, purple or pink in different liquids? Why does a steak turn brown when heated? Why can an oven bake muffins? Why does a higher temperature oven burn your carrots more easily? All of this…
Atoms & Molecules – Introducing proteins, carbohydrates & fats in food
When you zoom in on your food, what will you see? First thing you’ll notice is the detail in all the complex structures of food. Zooming in closer you’ll probably run into some cells. When you ‘look’ even closer though…
Phase Diagrams Explained – 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 of sugar and water combined with temperature make for…