Laboratory of Food Process Engineering’s Post

🥛 Ever opened a dressing bottle and found a watery layer on top? Yep — that’s an unstable emulsion at work 😅 As food scientists, this is one of the first things we test in the lab. Here’s my quick breakdown: 👉 Start with a uniform emulsion — oil, water & emulsifier, blended into fine droplets. 👉 Check droplet size — smaller & uniform = more stable. 👉 Put it under stress — centrifuge, heat–cool cycles, or freeze–thaw to predict how it’ll behave on the shelf. 👉 Watch over time — separation layers, droplet growth, or viscosity changes tell the real story. 👉 Tailor to the product — drinks fight sedimentation, sauces prevent creaming, plant-based milks need both. A 2021 study on plant-based emulsions found that pea protein + pectin formed a highly stable emulsion with minimal creaming after thermal cycling, thanks to electrostatic stabilization between the two biopolymers (Wouters et al., Food Hydrocolloids, 2021). 👉 This combo improved shelf stability without synthetic emulsifiers 💡 Stability isn’t just science — it’s what keeps your product smooth, shelf-stable, and consumer-approved 💪 #FoodScience #EmulsionStability #FoodInnovation #FoodFormulation #RAndD #TextureScience#ProductDevelopment #PlantBased #FoodScientist #FoodTechnology

The Fermentation Gold Rush is Creating Expensive Mistakes 🦠 It seems like everyone's adding "fermented" to their labels because it's trending. Unglamorous truths about the best way to do it, including: • pH Control • Cleanliness • Ensuring there aren’t other deadly microbes growing in your feed But here's what most don't understand about fermentation science: The same environment that allows healthy microbes to grow may actually grow the nasty ones too! Fermentation time affects flavour compounds exponentially (24h vs 72h = completely different taste profile) Lack of production controls can produce dangerous results Music to a scientist's ears?  “Controlled” fermentation which includes: • Controlled pH, temperature, packaging  • Capturing beneficial compounds without allowing pathogen growth • Using fermentation for taste, not just health claims Fermentation is science, not marketing. ☝ #FoodSafety #CFIA #CPG #FoodAndBeverage #ProductDevelopment #TrueLeavesConsulting

🍂🥛 Dairy Processing Fun fact 🧀 We hope all of you are having a great start to the fall semester! As we get back into the rhythm of the semester, here’s a food engineering fact to reflect on: Milk can be processed through different pathways depending on the desired shelf life and product quality: High temperature - short time (HTST) Pasteurization (~72 °C, 15 s): refrigerated storage, 2-3 weeks shelf-life. Extended Shelf Life (ESL): combines Ultra-high temperature (UHT) or filtration for longer refrigerated life (~2-3 months). UHT/Aseptic Processing (~135–150 °C, 2-5 s): enables months of shelf life at ambient conditions. Nonthermal alternatives (HPP, PEF, UV): emerging methods designed to retain quality parameters while ensuring safety. These methods highlight how processing choices balance microbial safety, sensory attributes, and consumer expectations, which are core challenges for food engineers. #FoodEngineering #SoFESD #DairyScience #FoodProcessing #ShelfLife

Ever wondered how food scientists formulate foods? It's all in the chemistry! Whether you’re in research, process or quality control, our MQC-R benchtop NMR enables you to: ✅ Monitor heating and cooling in real time ✅ Measure water relations during processing and storage ✅ Measure droplet size in emulsions ✅ Measure fat content in foods Learn more about food analysis with MQC-R: https://okt.to/ec1RaG #OIChemistry #FoodFormulation #TDNMR #FoodQC

🧅 Why Do Onions Make Us Cry? We’ve all experienced that burning sensation in our eyes while cutting onions — but have you ever wondered what truly causes it? 🤔 Let’s understand the science behind the tears 👇 🔬 The Chemistry of Crying: Onions naturally contain sulfur-containing amino acids called sulfoxides. When an onion is cut, its cell walls are damaged, releasing an enzyme known as alliinase. The enzyme reacts with the sulfoxides to produce sulfenic acids, which are unstable and quickly convert into a volatile gas called syn-Propanethial-S-oxide (the lachrymatory factor). 👁️ What Happens Next: When this gas reaches your eyes, it dissolves in the moisture of your tear film and forms mild sulfuric acid. This acid irritates the sensory nerves in your eyes. In response, your tear glands (lacrimal glands) produce tears to flush out the irritant — hence, you start crying. 💡 How to Reduce the Effect: Refrigerate or chill onions before cutting – cold temperature slows enzyme activity. Use a sharp knife – it causes less cell damage and releases fewer enzymes. Cut under running water or near a fan – it helps disperse the volatile gas. 🧠 Food Science Insight: This everyday kitchen reaction beautifully demonstrates enzyme-substrate interactions and volatile compound formation — key principles in food chemistry. Even a simple act like chopping an onion reminds us how science exists in every meal we prepare. 🍽️ #FoodScience #FoodTechnology #FoodChemistry #FoodFacts #ScienceInEverydayLife #FoodTechnologist #FoodProcessing

Ever noticed how porotta dough behaves almost like it has an ego? 👉 At first, it resists when stretched. 👉 With time, it loosens up and adapts. 👉 Left to rest, it stretches gracefully on its own. That’s not kitchen drama—it’s rheology at work. 🔹 Stress relaxation → resistance giving way to adaptation. 🔹 Creep → slow stretching under its own weight. This simple behaviour of dough beautifully demonstrates how materials respond under stress—whether in food, polymers, or packaging. Every material has an “ego”… and understanding it is the key to engineering better processes and products. 💡 Science isn’t locked in labs—it’s right there in the foods we eat. #FoodEngineering #Rheology #FoodScience #FoodTechnology #FoodProcessing #FoodInnovation #ScienceInFood #EngineeringEverydayLife #FoodResearch #FoodTexture #AgriFoodTech #PorottaScience #KnowledgeSharing #ScienceCommunication #EverydayEngineering #STEMOutreach #FoodEngineer

LCGC International Researchers used GC-IMS technology to analyze the volatile flavor compounds in different plum varieties and the changes in flavor during the salting process. https://lnkd.in/euhK77xt

On a research table, rows of flour samples were carefully arranged, each hiding a secret. This time, scientists focused on the 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 a key tool to measure enzyme activity, especially the power of alpha-amylase. Too much amylase meant starch broke down quickly, turning bread crumb sticky; too little, and the dough struggled to rise properly. As the falling number value dropped, enzyme activity rose, often ruining the bread’s structure and leaving it heavy and damp inside. Higher values, on the other hand, revealed weak enzymatic action, leading to poor fermentation and weak loaf volume. Watching flour suspensions boil in glass tubes, researchers were essentially witnessing the future of each loaf. In the world of bakers, this measurement became a hidden compass. With the right falling number, dough developed in harmony with yeast, the gluten network strengthened, and the bread came out with a crisp crust and a well-balanced crumb. With the wrong values, bread either collapsed or staled too quickly. Source: https://lnkd.in/dB32TjQP

Discoloration of Raw and Cooked Potatoes: Natural Factors, Causes, Measurements, and Control I’m pleased to share one of my collaborative researches, published in the American Journal of Potato Research, where we examined the discoloration phenomena in raw and cooked potatoes — a critical issue in food quality, consumer acceptance, and industrial processing. This study reviewed the natural, enzymatic, and non-enzymatic factors responsible for potato discoloration, alongside the biochemical and environmental conditions that trigger these reactions. By analyzing previous research and experimental data, we outlined how genetic, physical, and storage factors contribute to color deterioration, and we proposed potential control strategies for minimizing these undesirable changes. The work highlights that understanding the mechanisms of browning reactions is essential for improving product stability, visual quality, and consumer trust in food industries. Through such interdisciplinary studies, I aim to bridge food chemistry, processing technology, and sensory science to support innovation in food preservation and product development. (Published in American Journal of Potato Research, 2022) https://lnkd.in/duhXsnAH #FoodScience #FoodChemistry #PotatoResearch #FoodQuality #FoodProcessing #FoodTechnology #SensoryScience #AgricultureInnovation #ResearchImpact #EgyptScience

When consistency becomes the real challenge — not innovation” As food scientists, we love creating new formulations, optimizing enzymes, or adjusting fermentation times. But sometimes, the hardest part isn’t developing something new — it’s making it perform the same way every single day. Every batch of flour is a little different. A small variation in protein quality, starch damage, or moisture content can shift the entire dough behavior. Even the same formula can produce different results — simply because temperature, humidity, or wheat lot have changed. In R&D, I’ve learned that innovation is easy — consistency is an art. Achieving steady quality means understanding the invisible variables: how proteins hydrate, how enzymes interact, and how fermentation responds to the environment. That’s why close collaboration between millers, bakers, and quality teams is so important. Consistency isn’t just about control — it’s about communication. 💬 What’s your biggest challenge in keeping dough or flour performance consistent across batches? #FoodScience #FlourQuality #BakeryInnovation #DoughRheology #RAndD #QualityAssurance #BreadMaking