1st Edition

Introduction to the Physical Chemistry of Foods

By Christos Ritzoulis Copyright 2013
    224 Pages 56 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Introduction to the Physical Chemistry of Foods provides an easy-to-understand text that encompasses the basic principles of physical chemistry and their relationship to foods and their processing. Based on the author’s years of teaching and research experience in the physical chemistry of food, this book offers the necessary depth of information and mathematical bases presented in a clear manner for individuals with minimal physical chemistry background.

    The text begins with basic physical chemistry concepts, building a foundation of knowledge so readers can then grasp the physical chemistry of food, including processes such as crystallization, melting, distillation, blanching, and homogenization as well as rheology and emulsion and foam stability. The chapters cover thermodynamic systems, temperature, and ideal gases versus real gases; chemical thermodynamics and the behavior of liquids and solids, along with phase transitions; and the thermodynamics of small molecule and macromolecule dispersions and solutions.

    The text describes surface activity, interfaces, and adsorption of molecules. Attention is paid to surface active materials, with a focus on self-assembled and colloidal structures. Emulsions and foams are covered in a separate chapter. The book also introduces some of the main macroscopic manifestations of colloidal (and other) interactions in terms of rheology. Finally, the author describes chemical kinetics, including enzyme kinetics, which is vital to food science. This book provides a concise, readable account of the physical chemistry of foods, from basic thermodynamics to a range of applied topics, for students, scientists, and engineers with an interest in food science.

    The physical basis of chemistry
    Thermodynamic systems
    Temperature
    Deviations from ideal behavior: Compressibility

    Chemical thermodynamics
    A step beyond temperature
    Thermochemistry
    Entropy
    Phase transitions
    Crystallization
    Application of phase transitions: Melting, solidifying, and crystallization of fats
    Chemical potential

    The thermodynamics of solutions
    From ideal gases to ideal solutions
    Fractional distillation
    Chemical equilibrium
    Chemical equilibrium in solutions
    Ideal solutions: The chemical potential approach
    Depression of the freezing point and elevation of the boiling point
    Osmotic pressure
    Polarity and dipole moment
    Real solutions: Activity and ionic strength
    On pH: Acids, bases, and buffer solutions
    Macromolecules in solution
    Enter a polymer
    Is it necessary to study macromolecules in food and biological systems in general?
    Flory–Huggins theory of polymer solutions
    Osmotic pressure of solutions of macromolecules
    Concentrated polymer solutions
    Phase separation

    Surface activity
    Surface tension
    Interface tension
    Geometry of the liquid surface: Capillary effects
    Definition of the interface
    Surface activity
    Adsorption
    Surfactants

    Surface-active materials
    What are they, and where are they found?
    Micelles
    Hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB), critical micelle concentration (cmc), and Krafft point
    Deviations from the spherical micelle
    The thermodynamics of self-assembly
    Structures resulting from self-assembly
    Phase diagrams
    Self-assembly of macromolecules: The example of proteins

    Emulsions and foams
    Colloidal systems
    Thermodynamic considerations
    A brief guide to atom-scale interactions
    Emulsification
    Foaming
    Light scattering from colloids
    Destabilization of emulsions and foams

    Rheology
    Does everything flow?
    Elastic behavior: Hooke’s law
    Viscous behavior: Newtonian flow
    Non-Newtonian flow
    Complex rheological behaviors
    How does a gel flow? (Viscoelasticity)
    Methods for determining viscoelasticity

    Elements of chemical kinetics
    Diamonds are forever?
    Concerning velocity
    Reaction laws
    Zero-order reactions
    First-order reactions
    Second- and higher-order reactions
    Dependence of velocity on temperature
    Catalysis
    Biocatalysts: Enzymes
    The kinetics of enzymic reactions
    Bibliography
    Index

    Biography

    Christos Ritzoulis studied chemistry at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and food science (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) at the University of Leeds. He has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and as an analyst at the Hellenic States General Chemical Laboratories. Today, Christos is a senior lecturer of food chemistry at the Department of Food Technology at TEI Thessaloniki, where he teaches food chemistry and physical chemistry of foods.