ABSTRACT
Acknowledgment .......................................................................................................................... 488 Nomenclature ................................................................................................................................ 488 References ..................................................................................................................................... 490
14.1 INTRODUCTION
Food structure at molecular, microscopic, and macroscopic levels can be applied not only in the study and evaluation of food texture and quality, but also to the analysis and correlation of the transport properties of foods, such as viscosity, thermal conductivity=diffusivity, and mass diffusivity. At the molecular level, Aguilera and Stanley (1999) reported that food biopolymers (proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids) of importance to transport properties are structural proteins (collagen, keratin, and elastin), storage proteins (albumins, globulins, prolamins, and glutenins), structural polysaccharides (cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectins, seaweed, and plant gums), storage polysaccharides (starch-amylose and amylopectin), and lignin (plant cell walls).
