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Structural and Mechanical Properties of Fats Quantified by Ultrasonics

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society

Abstract

Since the velocity of an ultrasonic wave through a material depends on its density, bulk modulus (K), and shear modulus (G), a new approach to determine the shear elastic modulus and the mass fractal dimension (D) in a fat crystal network was developed. An ultrasonic chirp wave containing a range of frequencies and amplitudes, was used to estimate the structural and mechanical properties of palm oil based fats, crystallized under shear at three different temperatures (20, 25, and 30 °C). Considering the fat crystal network as a two-phase system (i.e. liquid and solid fat) the velocity of sound in both phases was obtained separately, assuming that the speed of sound in the oil phase was inversely dependent on the temperature. A constant shear modulus for the solid fraction was obtained experimentally by rheology, which was independent of the sample’s nature. These parameters were used for the determination of sample compressibility and its corresponding shear modulus by ultrasonic velocimetry. In addition fractal dimensions (D) were determined by using the relationship of the shear elastic modulus (G) to the mass fraction of the solid fat (φ) in a weak-link regime. The obtained results are comparable and consistent with previously reported fractal dimension values. This method allows online determination of the shear modulus of fats and could be potentially applied for quality control purposes in manufacturing.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to express our thanks to Dr. Silvana Martini for the use of the data she collected during the ultrasonics experiments. We acknowledge the financial support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF), and the Canada Research Chairs Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road West, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1

    Fatemeh Maleky, Rodrigo Campos & Alejandro G. Marangoni

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  1. Fatemeh Maleky
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  2. Rodrigo Campos
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  3. Alejandro G. Marangoni
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Correspondence to Alejandro G. Marangoni.

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Maleky, F., Campos, R. & Marangoni, A.G. Structural and Mechanical Properties of Fats Quantified by Ultrasonics. J Amer Oil Chem Soc 84, 331–338 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-007-1039-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-007-1039-3

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