New dimensions in microstructure of food products

Food microstructure is the organization of elements within a food and their interaction. Food scientists break down and build up microstructure during food processing, which should be viewed as a series of restructuring and r eassembling operations. Researchers in this field have benefited from newer techniques available for examining food microstructure and analyzing image s. Microstructural knowledge is critical if food properties are to be contr olled properly since there is a causal connection between structure and fun ctionality. The microstructural approach to food processing and engineering is based on the realization that microstructural changes underlie product properties and microstructural techniques are necessary to understand struc ture-property relationships. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights rese rved.