FST 303- PHYSICAL AND COLLOIDAL

CHEMISTRY OF FOOD
COURSE OUTLINE
1. Water - sructure, chemical and functional properties in Foods,
Water activity of food. Applications in food preservation and processing

2. Food Rheology
- Definition of common terms: Rheology, stress, stain, shear stress and
shear strain
- Fluids flowing properties during food processing; plasticity, pseudo
elasticity, Elasticity, Viscoelasticity, viscosity and texture
- Newtonian and Non- Newtonian liquids, giving specific examples and
areas of application in foods
- Classification of non-Newtonian fluids
(i) Time dependent non-Newtonian fluid: Thixotropic and Rheopetic
fluids
(2) Time independent Non-Newtonian fluids
Shear thining fluids (Pseudoplastic)
Shear thickening fluids (dilatant fluids)
Binghamplastic fluids
- Surface tension of fluids:- Determination and
importance in food processing.
Surfactant: common examples, mode of action
and uses in foods
3. Food colloids: sols, suspensions, emulsions,
Gels, foams, formation and their stability in food
system.
4. Food additives and toxicants
WATER
Water molecule structure.
In one Water molecule, H20, the two hydrogen atoms
are bounded to one oxygen atom. Each hydrogen atom
of a water molecule shares an electron pair with the
oxygen atom

A charge separation (dipole) occurs in which the

oxygen atom displays a partial negative charge while
the hydrogen atoms are partially positive (fig II)
 Partial + positive charge ()
Partial + positive charge () H
H 104 150

Partial 40% ionic character

Partial negative charge ()

The dipolar nature of water affects its physical
characteristics like boiling point, freezing point
and vapour pressure because the polarity
produces intermolecular attractive forces
Hydrogen bond in water
Water’s large intermolecular attractive forces
can be explained quite adequately by its ability
to engage in multiple hydrogen bonding on a
three dimensional basis. Hydrogen bonding is an
electrostatic attraction between badjacent H20
molecules (fig 3)
Fig III: Hydrogen bonding of water molecules in a tetrahedral configuration
……… Hydrogen bonds

• Water’s ability to engage in three dimensional hydrogen bonding

provides a logical explanation for many of its unusual properties. For
example large values for heat capacity, melting point, boiling point,
surface tension, heat of fusion, vaporization are all related to the extra
energy needed to break intermolecular hydrogen bonds.
Solvation and Dispersion Action of water .
1. Solubility:- The fact that molecules can form hydrogen bonds in
H20 means they can be dissolved or dispersed. This concept is termed
solubility. Compounds that hydrogen bond easily to water to form
solution or colloidal dispersion are said to be hydrophillic, usually
they are charged or polar molecules.
2. Hydration:- Is the process by which water molecules surround and
interact with solutes by acting as a solvent. When a salt such as
sodium chloride becomes hydrated the electrostatic attraction of Na
and Cl ions for one another weakened, the ions interact with H20
molecules and go into solutions as solutes with negative end of the
water molecules attracts to the Na+ and positive end of the water
molecules attracts to the Cl- ions e.g Proteins, certain Vitamins,
phospholipids, sterols (with hydrophyllic and hydrophobic). Food
compounds that have charged functional group such as CO , NH3+ PO
are water soluble for the same reason.
3. Formation of micelles structure:- Water also
disperses amphiphillic molecules. In water they form
micelles. Micelles are dusters of molecules in which
the hydrophobic groups are directed away from the
water, while the polar (charged) groups are exposed on
the external surface.
The non polar hydrophobic groups form a stable inner
core due to forces called Hydrophobic interactions(see
the next slide).
Formation of Micelles
 FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF WATER
1. Water is a component of colloidal dispersions
2. It is a fat replacer ingredient and a zero calorie ingredient in
food
3. It is a medium of heat transfer because of its high thermal
conductivity
4. It serves as a medium for chemical reactions since reaction
takes place in solution
5. It is a medium for microbial growth
6. Water is a plasticizer-a substance that when added to a food
system, makes it softer
7. It is a reactant or a product in chemical reactions such as
condensations and hydrolysis.
Water Activity of foods
Significance of water in foods
Water is present in most natural foods to the extent of 70% of their
weight or greater. Fruits and vegetables may contain 90% or even
95% water. Cooked meat from which some of the water has been
driven off still contains about 60% water. Water affects the texture
of foods e.g raisin (dehydrated grape) and prune (a dried plum). The
form in which water occurs in foods dictates the physical properties
of the food for example, fluid milk and apples contain approximately
the same amount of water but have different physical structures.
Water affects the keeping qualities of food, which is one reason for
removing it from foods (by evaporation, drying, concentration,
frozen, emulsification) water is most active in foods in liquid form.
As a liquid in foods, it is the solvent for numerous food chemicals
and thus promotes chemical reactions between the dissolved
constituents.
Water is also necessary for microbial growth.
It may also be necessary to remove water form food (in addition to
preservation) to reduce the weight and bulk of the food and thus
save on packaging and shipping costs.
Water exists in foods in various ways- as a free water (e.g in tomato
juice), a droplets of emulsified water (e.g butter), water tied up in
colloidal gels (e.g gelatin desserts), a thin layer of adsorbed water
on the surface of solids (contributing to caking as in dried milk),
and as chemically bound water of hydration (e.g sugar crystals)
Some of these bound water forms are extremely difficult to remove
from foods (even by drying)in order to preserve such foods. Many
skills in food processing involve the removal of these bound water
to a save levels in foods. In some cases the storage stability of a
dehydrated item is enhanced by leaving a trace of moisture,
equivalent to a mono molecular layer of water, to coat all external
and internal surface. This monomolecular layer of water then may
serve as a barrier between atmospheric oxygen and sensitive
constituents in the food which otherwise would be more easily
oxidized
• Water activity (Aw)
Moisture content of foods refers to the absolute amount of water
present in a food. Water activity (aw or Aw) is a measure of the
availability of water molecules to enter into microbial, enzymatic or
chemical reactions. This availability affect the shelf life of a food.
Water activity is calculated as the ratio of the water vapour
pressure of the substance divides by the vapour pressure of pure
water at the same temperature.
aw =
p= vapour pressure of the food
po= vapour pressure of pure water at the same temperature. The
water activity of pure water is 1.0 according to this equations. All
foods, since they contain some non volatile substances, will have aw
values less than 1. In simpler terms awis a measure of relative
humidity. By multiplying aw by 100, the relative humidity (RH) of
the atmospherin equilibrium with the food (RH%) or is obtained.
• RH(%)= 100 X a
The Table below gives the moisture content and water activity of some fo
Food Moisture (%) Water activity

Ice at o0c 100 1.00

Fresh meat 70 0.985

Bread 40 0.96

Flour 14.5 0.72

Ice at -500C 100 0.62

Raisins 27 0.60

Macaroni 10 0.45

Potato chips 1.5 0.08

Water activity has to do with the form in which the water exists in food
i.e
Free water
Adsorbed water
Bound water
• Free water: Is highly entrapped and therefore easily pressed from
food matter, when this is done, the water can be seen and felt. Free
water acts as a dispersing agent and solvent and can be removed by
drying.
• Adsorbed water: or structural water associated in layers via
intermolecular hydrogen bonds around hydrophilic food molecules
• Bound water: Or water of hydration exists in a tight chemically bound
situation, such as within a arystalline structure via H 2O ion and water
dipole interactions, bound water does not exhibit the typical
properties of water, failing to freeze at O oC and failing to act as a
solvent.
Water in foods exerts a vapour pressure the size of the vapour pressure depends
on
a. The amount of water present
b. The temperature
c. The concentration of dissolved solute (particularly salts and sugars) in the
water. The more the dissolved solute, the less volatile the water and the less
the vapour pressure.
• Equilibrium moisture content of foods
• At a constant temperature, the moisture content of food changes until it comes
into equilibrium with water vapour in the surrounding air. The food then
neither gain nor loses weight on storage under those conditions. This is called
the Equilibrium moisture content of the storage atmosphere is known as the
equilibrium relative humidity.
• BET mono layer value
A proportion of the total water in a food is strongly bound to specific sites,
however when all sites are occupied by adsorbed water, the moisture content is
termed BET (brunauer-Emmett-Teller) monolayer value. The BET monolayer value
represents the moistiure content at which the food is most stable. At moisture
contents below this level, there is a higher rate of lipid oxidation and at higher
moisture contents maillard browning, enzymatic and microbiological activities are
promoted.
• Measurement of Aw in foods
1. Measurement of Aw based on the direct relationship
between aw and ERH
2. Measurement of the ambient relative humidity in food
storage areas
3. Measurement of total moisture content of a food material
and relating this moisture to aw using a pre-determined
sorption isotherm curve for the foods
• Moisture sorption isotherm (MSI)
MSI are graphs of data that interrelate the water (moisture)
content of a food with its water activity at a constant
temperature. It indicates the water activity at which a food is
stable and allows prediction of the effect of changes in
moisture content on aw and therefore on storage stability
(see below)
Moisture sorption isotherm (MSI)
MSI are graphs of data that interrelate the water (moisture) content of
a food with its water activity at a constant temperature. It indicates the
water activity at which a food is stable and allows prediction of the
effect of changes in moisture content on a w and therefore on storage
stability (see below)

D
D
100
C
B C
A B
x A

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1.0

Water activity
Moisture sorption isotherm (MSI)plot to show how water
activity and moisture differ. For example, a food product
might have a relatively low constant moisture level (x) and
yet increase significantly in water activity (Point A to B).
during storage of a day food in a humid enviroment as
more moisture uptake occurs (points B to C to D) the
proportion of bound water decreases and the amount of
free water increase. This changes a hard crisp product to
one that is soft and moist. Each food has unique set of
sorption Isotherms at different temperatures.
Practically, reduction in aw can be obtained by drying,
adding water soluble salts and sugars, and by freezing of
foods.
• Effects of aw on foods
Almost all microbial activities are inhibited below a w
of 0.6, most fungi are inhibited below aw of 0.7,
most yeasts are inhibited below aw of 0.8 and most
bacteria below aw of 0.9. The interaction of aw, with
temperature, pH, Oxygen and carbon dioxide or
chemical preservatives has an important effect on
the inhibition of microbial growth (huddle effect).
Most enzymes are inactivates when the aw falls
below 0.85. Non enzymatic or maillard reactions
are strongly dependent on aw and reach a maximum
rate at aw of 0.6-0.7.