Quantifying the Long-Term Stability of Food Formulations

Foodstuffs are often mixtures of different ingredients and are therefore liable to separate. It is important to quantify these separation processes to optimize food product formulations. The MultiScan MS 20 dispersion stability analysis system, developed by DataPhysics Instruments, can reliably and efficiently analyze food dispersions regarding their destabilization and aging. The following use case evaluates five milk substitutes and compares the occurring destabilization mechanisms.

- Dr. Qiongjie Liu

Many food products, such as milk products and mayonnaise, are complex multicomponent mixtures. In their production, a homogeneous composition with good flavor, texture, and nutritional value is desired. Separation processes in these mixtures can strongly influence their taste and mouthfeel. Assuring long-term homogeneity and thus a long shelf life for such products requires thorough optimization during the formulation of the mixtures.

The type and concentration of the formulation’s ingredients, its processing temperature, рН, and viscosity are crucial parameters determining its separation behavior. Therefore, understanding the stability of food dispersions is important for research and development departments in the food industry. However, observing separation processes with the naked eye is highly subjective and time-consuming, hindering efficient formulation optimization.

MULTISCAN MS 20: AN IDEAL COMPANION TO CHARACTERIZE DISPERSIONS

To solve the above issues, the German measuring equipment manufacturer DataPhysics Instruments has developed the MultiScan MS 20 measuring device for automatic optical stability and ageing analysis of liquid dispersions (Figure 1). The device was particularly developed to characterize suspensions was well as emulsions and allow comprehensive time- and temperature-resolved analysis of destabilization mechanisms.