The interactions between food ingredients and water are critical components of food quality and shelf-life.  Water is ubiquitous in the environment in which foods are processed, stored, and used and is the culprit in many physical and chemical changes that occur during storage.  Understanding the basic mechanisms by which water interacts with different types of solids, and blends of ingredients, can provide insight into what can and cannot be controlled for a given product, production, or storage scenario.  An overview of the five water-solid interaction mechanisms will be provided (adsorption, capillary condensation, deliquescence, crystal hydrate formation, absorption), including commentary on what might be occurring in complex ingredient blends.  Phase diagrams of deliquescence and hydrate forming deliquescent ingredients will be discussed, including method development to document the hydrate-anhydrate boundary. Many food formulation and production practices lead to alterations in food ingredient architecture, particularly in miscible ingredient blends and unit operations that include rapid solvent removal or high shear conditions.  While many ingredients are crystalline or partially crystalline, they may adopt an amorphous structure during food production.  Amorphous structures are thermodynamically and chemically less stable than their crystalline counterparts but exhibit enhanced dissolution profiles and softer textures.  Case studies of the amorphization of sugars, vitamins C and B<sub>1</sub>, and citric acid will be discussed in terms of formulation, storage stability, hygroscopicity/hygrocapacity, glass transition temperature, and intermolecular interactions. <br/>

Fundmentals and consequences of food ingredient architecture and water-solid interactions

255th National Meeting (2018)

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