SAXS for Food Science
Food products owe much of their texture, stability, and sensory profile to structures that form and reorganize at the nanometric scale. Fat crystals, protein networks, starch architectures, and polysaccharide assemblies all evolve during processing, storage, and digestion, and are often highly sensitive to formulation choices and environmental conditions. Understanding how nanoscale organization develops and transforms is therefore essential for designing reliable, high-performing food products and for controlling their behavior throughout their lifecycle.
Small-Angle and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS/WAXS) provide a unique window into these evolving architectures without altering the sample or disrupting the delicate balance of phases within it. Scattering techniques reveal lamellar spacing in fats, crystalline order in starches, and the organization of protein–polysaccharide or emulsion-based networks as they develop under real processing conditions. Because SAXS/WAXS can monitor structural transitions as they happen, they allow researchers to link nanoscale organization directly to macroscopic attributes such as texture, spreadability, and mouthfeel. This structural insight supports the design of formulations that behave predictably, withstand processing stresses, and deliver the sensory qualities consumers expect.
Questions you can answer with SAXS for Food Science
How do fat-based systems in dairy or plant-based formulations develop lamellar order during cooling or tempering, and how does this structure influence texture and stability?
What crystalline or semi-crystalline structures form in starch-rich products during heating, cooling, or storage, and how do they relate to firmness or retrogradation?
How do fat globules evolve in size, shape, and internal crystal organization during homogenization, processing, or digestion?
How are protein or polysaccharide assemblies organized in hydrated systems, and which nanoscale features govern gelation, viscosity, or water binding?
How do emulsion structures respond to thermal or mechanical stress, and which nanoscale rearrangements signal early-stage instability?
What network structure develops in oleogels or fat-replacer systems, and how does nanoscale connectivity affect mechanical and sensory properties?
How does nanoscale architecture reorganize during simulated digestion, and how does this restructuring influence nutrient release or bioaccessibility?