Chapter 5 - New methodology using synchrotron radiation to characterize fast events in food processing

Abstract

This chapter demonstrates that X-ray fluxes available today at synchrotron radiation sources make it possible to characterize rapid process events by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Currently, synchrotron X-ray fluxes are up by 3 to 4 orders of magnitude over the best conventional laboratory sources. When used in conjunction with fast electronic detector systems, synchrotron radiation beams can be used to study events occurring on millisecond time scales. To introduce the technique of XRD using synchrotron radiation, the chapter begins with a discussion of the technologies for generating and detecting X-rays. Then some examples of structural kinetics determined using XRD are presented, which are drawn from the more mature areas of biological and biomedical studies; these areas are chosen because the materials studied are akin to foods. Finally, one of the first applications of synchrotron radiation to food science— the kinetics of fat crystallization—is summarized. A few other potential applications of synchrotron radiation are indicated at the end of the chapter. XRD has given useful insights into food structures and dynamics, at the molecular and supramolecular levels.