Food Crystallization Flashcards

1
Q

Crystallization

A

When a crystal forms, the molecules
orient themselves in a regular pattern, or
lattice structure.

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2
Q

When a crystal forms, the molecules orient themselves in a regular pattern, or lattice structure.

A

1 Generation of a supersaturated phase
2 Nucleation
3 Crystal growth
4 Recrystallization

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3
Q

Nucleation is the formation

A

of crystalline lattice structure from solution or melt

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4
Q

Crystal growth involves

A

subsequent growth of nuclei
until equilibrium is attained

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5
Q

Recrystallization is

A

a reorganization of the crystalline structure to a
lower energy state, generally without any further
change in the amount of crystalline phase volume

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6
Q

Generation of a supersaturated phase

A

: the driving force for crystallization & is a prerequisite before a solid
phase will appear in a saturated solution

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7
Q

When it is Supersaturated,

A

Solute concentration higher than the equilibrium solubility

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8
Q

The liquid phase must exceed the equilibrium condition and become

A

supersaturated (solution) or supercooled (melt)

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9
Q

For a melt

A

cooling below the melting point of a compound

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10
Q

For a solution

A

produce a concentration
in solution greater than solubility
concentration (sugars, salts, etc)

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11
Q

When solute contents > solubility concentration (Cs),

A

supersaturated solutions

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12
Q

How to achieve supersaturation?

A
  • Heating the solvent prior to dissolving the solute so that high concentration solutions can be made
  • Cooling this solution below the saturation temperature results in supersaturated solution (A - B)
  • Evaporating solvent from solution - Increase concentration of solute
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13
Q

Labile zone: Supersaturation is very high

A
  • Nucleation occurs spontaneously
  • High nucleation rate, so many small crystals are formed
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14
Q

Metastable zone: Solution state is thermodynamically unstable

A
  • But kinetic barrier prevents spontaneous formation
  • Crystal may grow (by adding seed crystal – heterogeneous nucleation) but nucleation is negligible
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15
Q

Undersaturated region: Solution state is thermodynamically stable

A
  • Any crystals added will dissolve
  • Nucleation will not occur
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16
Q

Nucleation

A

Molecules in the liquid state re-arrange &
eventually form into a stable cluster that
organizes into a crystalline lattice.

17
Q

Primary nucleation

A
  • Formation of crystal nuclei from a solution that
    contained no pre-existing crystals
18
Q

Homogenous nucleatio

A
  • Formation of nuclei within a homogeneous fluid ─ rarely occurs in practical food processing conditions
19
Q

Heterogenous nucleation

A
  • Initiated by contact with foreign particles and
    surfaces
20
Q

Secondary nucleation

A
  • Formation of crystal nuclei due to the
    presence of existing crystals
21
Q

3rd step Crystal growth

A
  • Nuclei that form can grow to larger size based on the available supersaturation
    in the solution
22
Q

The extent of this crystal growth depends on t

A

the magnitude of supersaturation
remaining in solution after nucleation has occurred

23
Q

crystal Growth continues until all of the available supersaturation

A

has been depleted & the system approaches an equilibrium in phase volume, which depends on
temperature & composition of the system

24
Q

4th step Recrystallization

A
  • Once equilibrium in phase volume has
    been attained, changes still may take place
    in the crystalline structure during long term
    storage, especially where temperature &
    RH are likely to vary over time
25
Ice-cream/frozen foods
Molecules within ice crystals re-arrange * Small ice crystals disappear * Larger crystals grow Result: Product feels coarse during consumption
26
Effects of temperature fluctuations
(T°C increase - small ice crystals melt – unfrozen water increase)
27
as temperature decrease, water will refreeze but does not renucleate.
(T°C decrease - water refreeze – deposited on large crystal surface – no. of crystals decrease – crystal size increase)
28
Formation of fat bloom in chocolate during long-term storage
Cocoa butter in fresh chocolate is not in polymorph with lowest energy state * Gradually re-crystallize into the most stable form * Formation of visible crystals on chocolate surface (loss of gloss) Result: Formation of a whitish haze (fat bloom) on the surface
29
Mechanisms of recrystallization
Ostwald ripening/Accretion/Polymorphic transformation /Melt/refreeze
30
Chocolate tempering
* Tempering process involves holding chocolate at the appropriate temperature for the proper time to form the desired crystalline structure. * In commercial operations, the chocolate mass is pumped through a heat exchanger where the temperature is controlled in different sections to ensure proper crystallization. * Molten chocolate at about 50°C is cooled rapidly in the first section to ~26ºC to initiate crystallization of the β ’ polymorph. The rate of nuclei formation at these conditions is rapid so that many crystals are formed, which results in an increase in viscosity of chocolate mass. * Since the β -polymorph is desired, the temperature of the chocolate mass is increase to cause melting of the unstable form & transformation on the more stable β -polymorph