Project

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to study interactions in complex food systems

Code
BOF/BAS/2022/101
Duration
15 December 2022 → 14 December 2024
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Research disciplines
  • Agricultural and food sciences
    • Food and additive engineering
    • Food physics
    • Food technology
Keywords
differential scanning calorimetry phase transitions complex foods
 
Project description

Food products are structured composites of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates. Understanding the complex interactions between these components and their behavior during processing, storage and consumption, is a prerequisite to design more nutritious, sustainable and tasty foods. To achieve this, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is an indispensable tool allowing the study of phase or state transitions involved in food ingredients and end products, including glass transition, melting and crystallization properties, protein denaturation and starch gelatinization. This project intends the procurement of a state of the art DSC with autosampler to replace the current outdated equipment. As DSC is an essential and basic tool within food structure research, the new equipment, showing better resolution and sensitivity, will allow continuation and expansion of the research portfolio in a global context of protein shift and reformulation towards innovative plant-based foods.