ABSTRACT
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Most food systems are built of a network of many small particles and macromolecules and held together by a wide range of intermolecular and colloidal forces. Their structure, texture, stability, and functionality are strongly influenced by the strength of these interactions. Moreover, the texture of a final food system depends strongly on the history of structural changes during processing. At the current state of art, we do not understand the mechanisms whereby subtle changes in food system interactions control the structure and mechanical properties of foods. General strategy in food systems is to determine quantitatively the relationships between interactions, structure, and rheology related to the food functionality. From the structure point of view, it means the complete specifications of the relative distributions of particle in space. In the case of rheology, it means the frequency-dependent relationship between stress and strain at a small deformation rate, as well as dependent behavior at large deformations. The food functionality in general can be expressed through the hurdle technological effect, which was achieved at the final stage of food processing. Each particular food product can be assessed by a certain set of
hurdles that differs in quality and intensity, depending on the technology used (Gorris, 1995). The hurdles might influence the stability and the sensory, nutritive, technological, and economic properties of a product.
