Accepted Abstracts for Posters

Impacts of surface defects on the dynamics of wetting and on the shape of advancing contact lines

Melides S

Food powder dissolution is, in many cases, a blight for consumers and manufacturers alike. Surface fat is known to cause agglomeration, clumping, lumping and islands, which all impede reconstitution.

This research investigated the impacts of hydrophobic (cocoa butter) defects on the advancing contact lines (CL) of water on water-soluble (maltodextrin) and insoluble (steel/glass) surfaces. We provide a theoretical model describing the interactions a periodic array of voids have on the force and interfacial deflection of advancing CL as a defect is overcome. The pinning force is linear with depth until the pinning energy is overcome by the CL elasticity. Four-phase CL reduce the pinning force.

The wetting of soluble maltodextrin films patterned with hydrophobic defects (by inkjet materials printing) of various area fractions (AF) and sizes was assessed over 80s. Hydrophobic droplets with AF even as low as 1% were seen to impede the wetting of water. Increasing AF was found both to increase the onset and end contact angles (θ) and to reduce the contact line speeds (U). AFs of ~25% 0.25 were found to triple the onset θ and to reduce U by half. As AF increased, stepwise undulations in θ were observed, indicating that U reduced locally as the contact line encountered defects. Increasing the defect droplet size (but maintaining AF) was seen not to greatly impact θ and U. Randomising the placement of the droplets was also not seen to significantly impact the wetting of the films. This research begins to explain how defects and their interactions impede wetting of food powders, identifying the key parameters that control wetting and depinning, which can help improving food powder wetting performance.

In-situ crystallised lipid particles for oil-in-water emulsion stabilisation

Gomez C, Wolf B, Pelan E

Solid lipid particles have the potential to create barriers around emulsion droplets to inhibit coalescence. The overall aim of this research is to create these particles in-situ for the stabilisation of oil-in-water emulsions by exploiting cooperative behaviour between monoglycerides and triglycerides within the dispersed oil phase. Due to their amphiphilic character monoglycerides adsorb at the oil-water interface. The fatty acid chains of the triglyceride will then interact with the adsorbed monoglycerides, and kinetic trapping of this arrangement through cooling will create a Pickering particle layer. Here the impact of monoglyceride and triglyceride chain length on emulsion microstructure and stability is reported.

O/W emulsions with a volume fraction of 10% medium chain triglyceride with added mono- and triglyceride and water without additive as the continuous emulsion were processed above the melting temperature of the lipids using turbulent shear, followed by cooling below the crystallisation temperature. Amount and chain length of added mono-/triglyceride were varied. Differential scanning calorimetry, emulsion creaming and droplet size data, and microstructure images will be presented.

Both, amount and chain length of added mono-/triglyceride affected the overall appearance of the processed emulsions. A coalesced oil layer, a creamed layer of large but crystal stabilised droplets and sub-phase of crystal stabilised droplets small enough to resist creaming over the observation period could be distinguished. Formulating with a monoglyceride and a triglyceride of the same chain length provided enhanced stability against droplet coalescence. The ratio of mono- to triglyceride had no significant impact but the overall amount added was critical.

Formulation engineering of an emulsion oil phase enables emulsion stabilisation through lipid particle crystallisation without the need to add emulsifiers to the continuous emulsion phase. This could mean the removal of unsustainable and consumer-adverse ingredients in emulsion-based foods.

Investigating Rheological Characteristics of Protein-Polysaccharide Crosslinked Hydrogels for Enhanced Spinnability of Fibres

Vaniyan L, Yakubov G, Nicholson R

The growing demand for sustainable, protein-rich foods requires the development of innovative technologies to produce plant- and fermentation-based meat analogues. These analogues should not only match the texture of traditional meat, perceived as superior by consumers, but also offer well-balanced nutritional profiles. The distinctive texture of meat is due to the fibrous arrangement of collagen fibres or myofibrils in the muscle tissues. However, creating analogous fibrous structures in plant-based protein substitutes poses a challenge, as most commercial plant proteins, such as those from soy or pea, lack this fibrous organisation.

In this work, we propose an innovative use of polysaccharides as structuring aids. Polysaccharide-protein assemblies are designed to achieve structural effects that facilitate the creation of protein-loaded fibrous materials, mimicking the characteristics of meat fibres. Our hypothesis is that under specific spinning conditions, the extension of polysaccharide molecules will occur, resulting in fibres with an aligned, anisotropic structure similar to that of collagen or myofibrils. Simultaneously, we propose that cross-linking will stabilise this aligned structure, ensuring the stability of proteins within the composite. To explore the fundamental principles governing spinnability and polymer relaxation mechanisms in polysaccharide-protein systems, we developed a model system using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a representative polysaccharide and sodium caseinate as a model protein. This binary hydrocolloid system was transformed into a hydrogel through the use of EDC (1-Ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl] carbodiimide hydrochloride) as a cross-linking agent.

A range of rheological methods, including small amplitude oscillatory shear rheology and extensional rheology (CABER), were employed to establish the connection between spinnability and the viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels. Through careful adjustment of the conditions of the cross-linking reaction, we uncovered a dynamic balance between extension and relaxation conditions of weakly associated polymer networks. Under these conditions, it is possible to formulate a hydrogel system with optimal gel-setting properties, facilitating the consistent formation of protein-polysaccharide fibres.

The Heart of Chocolate: A Combined In-silico/Ex-vivo Approach to Unravelling the Cardioprotective Effects of Cocoa-flavanols

Kemble-diaz C, Rodriguez-Mateos A, Molteni C

Our study delves into the cardioprotective effects of cocoa-flavanols. Leveraging a blend of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and density functional theory (DFT) methods, our research focuses on epicatechin – the most abundant of cocoa-flavanols – and its primary metabolites (3' glucuronide and 3' sulphate), which are prevalent in the bloodstream post-consumption. Cocoa-flavanols have been observed in population and clinical studies to exhibit cardioprotective effects, potentially improving endothelial function by modulating flow-mediated dilation (FMD). The pathway through which these molecules exert their influence on the FMD protein signalling pathway, however, remains elusive. Our research aims to elucidate this by examining these flavanols' structural and electronic properties and their interaction with FMD-related proteins. We have identified Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) as a protein of interest within the FMD pathway, evidenced by its high docking score and key role as a signalling protein. MD simulations of epicatechin and its metabolites in complex with FAK are being performed to unravel their potential influence on FAK's function. In parallel, we employ an ex-vivo model using sections of pig arteries to monitor vasodilation under flow conditions. This model allows us to introduce these molecules and observe their direct effects on arterial function, providing a comprehensive understanding of their method of action.

The role of Rainwater harvesting systems in Soil Physical Properties and Agricultural Use

Tekin H, Yılmaz I, Goren Soares B

Due to destructive impacts of climate change, soil physical properties and processes, such as water content and water retention, which are essential for efficecint agricultural use, is negatively affected by weather extremes. Food security can be ensured by well managed water-soil interaction. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems which is based on collecting rainwater for later use, may have potential to be one of the efficient ways of ensuring higher level of crop production in arid and semi-arid regions.  This research mainly aims to understand the role of RWH systems for water-soil interaction and soil physical properties as well as agricultural use. As a methodology, a comprehensive literature reviıes was followed by document analysis to highlight the real benefits of RWH in current practice by overviewing recent articles, case studies and reports published by different organisations. The study results indicated that RW offers several benefits to soil phyiscal charactersistics for increased crop productivity, such as better water infiltration into the soil, providing proper level of soil mositure, decrease groundwater contamination and increasing vegetation. In addition, RWH systems considerably hinder surface runoff and prevent soil erosion.

Key Words: Rainwater harvesting systems, Soil physical properties, Soil physical properties, Agricultural use

Thermally treated peanut oil bodies as a fat replacer for ice cream: Physicochemical and rheological properties

Zaaboul F

This study investigates the potential use of peanut oil bodies as a fat replacer in ice cream. We explored the effects of different treatments, fresh (FOB), heated (HOB), and roasted (ROB) peanut oil bodies on ice cream preparation. Heat treatment altered the intrinsic protein profile on the oil bodies' surface, subsequently influencing the ice cream's properties. Notably, heat treatment increases the oil bodies' size and the absolute value of ζ-potential. The rheological analysis provided information about void volumes, indicating easier air incorporation during whipping for ROB (72 to 300 nm) than FOB (107 to 55 nm). ROB ice cream displays a high overrun and a lower melting rate compared to FOB ice cream. Moreover, thermal treatment reduces the beany flavors, n-hexanal, and 2-pentenylfuran. Overall, this study reveals peanut oil bodies as a promising platform for rational design of fat-substituted plant-based ice creams.