ABSTRACT
Food structure at the molecular, microscopic and macroscopic levels, used in the study and evaluation of food texture and food quality, can be applied to the analysis and correlation of the transport properties of foods. Molecular dynamics and molecular simulations, recently developed in polymer science for the study of polymer structure, can be extended to more complex food systems, improving the empirical mechanisms and correlations of transport processes. Food macrostructure, used in engineering and processing applications, can be related to the recent advances of food microstructure at the cellular level. Applications of food structural analysis and experimental data to the transport properties, especially mass transport, will improve food process and product development, and food product quality.
