Contact person
Niklas Lorén
Projektledare
Contact Niklas
Dynamic microscopy
Dynamic visualization, i.e. filming the structure during ongoing changes in the structure of the product/material, is now an important tool both for understanding how a product is formulated to obtain desired properties, but also how the product behaves when exposed to different storage conditions or changes during use and manufacturing.
Dynamic structural changes can be, for example:
• Melting mechanisms in the melting of cheese or ice cream.
• Migration and transport of substances into materials. The film below show a paper (green) in cross-section, 150µm thick. Migration of liquid (orange) from one side of a paper into the structure during simultaneous swelling of the paper, visualized with confocal microscopy. Local transport inside materials that cause, for example, fat bloom and loss of crispness in biscuits with filling can be measured with optical techniques such as FRAP and RICS.
• Phase separation of different components in a material. As an example, one way to achieve controlled release of drugs is to create a pellet with drugs that is covered by a film that controls how the drug is released. The film has a phase-separated structure where one phase dissolves in contact with liquid and a porous film is formed. By controlling the phase separation and the structure of the film, the release rate can be controlled.
• Bubble formation/expansion in bread baking and snack manufacturing.
• Crystallization of fat or sugar during cooling or storage.
• The effect of freezing on structure is particularly important for products with a high water content, where the structure and thus the texture can be significantly affected if freezing is too slow.
