The development of the laser in the 1960s has encouraged a remarkable
proliferation in light scattering experiments. Coupled with the rapid
advances in photon counting equipment and fast, on-line, computer proc
essing, new spectroscopies such as dynamic light scattering (DLS) have
become common tools in science laboratories. In this chapter, a brief
overview of dynamic light scattering is first provided. This will be
followed by a review of the basic concepts underlying the technique, t
he technical aspects that are of particular concern and, finally, appl
ications of DLS to scientific problems in food science.