Neutrons and Food 8 at MLZ

High pressure food processing (HPP) is widely applied in sterilization, homogenization, chemical synthesis, and the modulation of organoleptic properties. Owing to the complexity of food matrices, HPP requires the coordinated optimization of temperature, pressure, pH, ionic strength, and other interdependent variables, to achieve targeted structural or functional outcomes. HPP hold time—ranging from millisecond pressure pulses to hour long treatments—is a critical parameter, often determined using ex situ measurements and empirical approaches.
Short hold times are accessible to in situ techniques that simultaneously probe form and structure factors with a relatively high throughput, such as small angle X ray scattering (SAXS). However, longer pressure exposures remain difficult to study using methods susceptible to radiation damage, or that require the use of non-native probes. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS), a non-destructive technique with broad spatial and temporal resolution, is uniquely suited for in situ investigations of pressure hold time effects, including hysteresis and reversibility. This presentation will highlight applications of high pressure SANS (HP SANS) to systems such as blended plant–dairy proteins, hen egg white protein solutions, and gelatin, emphasizing the complementarity of SAXS, SANS, and diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS) to support HPP process engineering.