Importance of Particle Size in the Food Industry – Food Marketing Technology

The size of the Indian food market is over US$ 300 billion and is growing at a CAGR of ~10%. Food analysis is one of the major concerns to ensure optimum product quality. This interdisciplinary field of research aims to characterize food products in terms of their composition, structure, physico-chemical and phytochemical properties. The information is critical to understanding the factors that determine food properties, as well as the ability to economically produce food ingredients that are consistently safe and nutritious. Horiba Scientific aims to be part of this ongoing and demanding research effort of the food industry through high performance and cost-effective analytical solutions that ensure rapid analysis with high accuracy. HORIBA has over 200 years of experience in developing a wide range of cutting edge technologies to aid areas that affect human life. In this context, we introduce analytical instruments from HORIBA Scientific for particle size characterization that ensure handling of food safety and quality control parameters with precision and care.

The particle size distribution of solids has been studied for a variety of food and beverage additives such as coffee, sugar, flour, chocolate, milk powder, flavorings and condiments. The grain size of the raw material affects not only the taste, but also the appearance, consistency, processability and functionality of the finished product. Horiba Scientific provides high precision particle size measurement equipment for suspensions, emulsions, powders, pastes, creams and gels. To determine the size of small particles or nano materials, such as coloring and flavoring agents, the HORIBA nanoPartica SZ-100V2 is the instrument of choice. It works on the principle of Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and is an ideal technique for studying particle sizes in the range of 0.3 nm to 10 µm. Large particles or microparticles can be characterized using the HORIBA Partica LA-960V2 Laser Diffraction (LD) System, the most advanced laser scattering particle size distribution analyzer. Two important particle size tests performed by the food industry using HORIBA equipment are discussed below.

Flavor emulsion is one of the products that is mainly used in many food products including carbonated beverages and dairy products. A typical flavor emulsion consists of essential oils, emulsifiers and stabilizers in an aqueous continuous phase. One of the major concerns regarding the use of emulsions is their colloidal stability. Monitoring the particle size of an emulsion has a direct impact on the ease of maintaining a uniform suspended phase. The reduced particle size allows more particles to be distributed at the interface, resulting in a more stable emulsion. Given the sub-micron size range of most flavor emulsions, size analysis can be performed using the HORIBA SZ-100V2 system (Figure 1). Figure 1 shows the intensity-weighted particle size distribution of flavor emulsions with an average size of 250 nm obtained using the SZ-100V2 system.

In addition to particle sizing, the system also supports zeta potential (surface charge of particles) measurement. The parameter is an indicator of the interfacial properties and solution continuum near the interface within the emulsion system. The magnitude of the zeta potential gives an indication of the potential stability of the colloidal system. Therefore, the SZ-100V2 system supports the food production process through the analysis of two stability parameters, particle size and zeta potential, which helps to improve the shelf life of manufactured products.

Flour can be produced from a variety of grains, which are adapted for specific applications, such as baking bread or cakes. Controlling the size of the granules is of primary importance and is one of the essential parameters continuously monitored during the production process. Along with the texture and appearance of the final product, the grain size of the milled flour also affects the properties of the batter or dough, such as density and viscosity. Considering grain sizes in the range of several micrometers, laser diffraction (LD) technology has emerged as one of the most important and effective techniques for particle size analysis in the food industry. The innovative design of the HORIBA Partica LA-960V2 (Figure 2) Particle Size Distribution Analyzer advances scientific knowledge for tomorrow’s world through intuitive software, unique accessories, and high performance.

Wheat flour is such a vast industry where optimization of particle size is an essential parameter to be monitored at various milling stages. Figure 2 shows the volume-based particle size distribution of wheat flour with a size of 20 µm to 250 µm. The instrument provides reproducible and reliable data in less than a minute for a wide size range from 10 nm to 5 mm.

conclusion

The above particle sizing studies clearly indicate the proficiency of both LA-960V2 and SZ-100V2 technologies, capable of supporting the food industry to increase their productivity in a short period of time.

In addition to particle size characterization, HORIBA Scientific is the world leader in Raman spectroscopy, a new method of food analysis and inspection. It enables fast and non-destructive chemical analysis of solids, powders, liquids and gases. The technique allows determination of composition through quantitative methods, quality control and identification of impurities or unwanted material. The particle finder facility of Raman microscopy also supports the study of particle size and particle shape parameters. The November 2023 edition of the journal will share more information on the importance of technology in the inspection and monitoring of food processing.

About the Author:

* Applications Scientist, Horiba India Scientific Email: namrata.jain@horiba.com