Abstract
In the previous section, we presented the studies that have tentatively described and formalized (i.e., modeled) the relationship between structural and mass transfer properties in food. We pointed out that, in food science, the relationship between structure and transfer is rarely quantified and modeled. This illustrated well the complexity of the food materials and the difficulty of investigating in situ and in real conditions of use or storage the evolution of food structure. The scarce relationships established between structural and mass transfer properties were done at only one scale of observation, without any integration of the multiscale structure of the product. However, this multiscale structure is responsible for the main mechanisms governing mass transfer. For example, the structure at a molecular or macromolecular scale governs the local diffusion of gas or vapor, which is also affected by the nanoscale (presence of impermeable particles that increase the tortuosity of the matrice) and by the macrostructure of the product (multilayered structures). Most of the time, diffusion is characterized at a macroscopic scale by measuring an overall apparent diffusion coefficient. The apparent diffusion coefficient is a macroscopic property and cannot describe the different mechanisms of migration that prevail in food. A multiscale analysis of the relationship between the structure and mass transfer properties is thus required. Some attempts at multiscale analysis were carried out on lipid-based edible coatings used as moisture barriers, probably because of the relatively simpler structure of these dense materials, as compared with biological products or other foodstuffs. This section is devoted to the description of these attempts.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Guillard, V., Bourlieu, C., Gontard, N. (2013). Integration of the Various Scales: The Example of Hydrophobic Dense Edible Coatings . In: Food Structure and Moisture Transfer. SpringerBriefs in Food, Health, and Nutrition, vol 8. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6342-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6342-9_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6341-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6342-9
eBook Packages: Chemistry and Materials ScienceChemistry and Material Science (R0)