Food Physical Systems (11:400:419)

Fall 2003

 

Instructor:  Richard Ludescher; 311 Food Science Building; phone: 732-932-9611 ext 231; fax: 732-932-6776; ludescher@aesop.rutgers.edu  

 

Meeting Time & Place:  Monday & Wednesday 1:10-2:30 (MW4) in FS 101.

 

Office Hours:  To be determined.

 

Textbook:  Pieter Walstra (2003) Physical Chemistry of Foods.  Marcel Dekker, Inc.  Available at Cook/Douglass Bookstore.

 

Course Overview:  This is a course in the physical chemistry of foods; it is an investigation of how the chemical composition and molecular structure of specific foods and food ingredients determines their macroscopic physical properties, chemical reactivity, interactions with other foods, and response to specific processing operations such as heating, freezing, drying, and mixing.  The course, which thus serves as a conceptual bridge between food chemistry and food engineering, will emphasize a conceptual as well as quantitative understanding of how chemical structure results in macroscopic physical properties, how specific physical chemical mechanisms underlie a food’s response to specific processing operations, and how physical chemical concepts can be used to understand and thus control food quality and stability.  Since a full coverage of food physical chemistry is impossible in one semester, only selected topics will be covered.

 

Course Requirements:  Your grade will be based on the following distribution:

Quizzes (5%)

Assignments (35%)

Midterm & Final Exams (20% each)

Quizzes: Most classes will begin with a short quiz (1-2 questions) based on previous class material or on reading assignments. 

Assignments:  These will include problem sets, short (<1 page) reports on a defined topic, short individual or group projects, and questions about the physical chemistry of some food or process raised in class by students or the instructor; students who raise such questions will receive extra credit on the assignment.

 

Academic Integrity: All students are expected and required to be familiar with the rules and regulations of Rutgers University dealing with academic integrity and issues of cheating and/or plagiarism of intellectual material from either printed or electronic sources.  Any suspected instance of a violation of these rules will be reported to the appropriate College officials and will be handled strictly in accordance with the established policies.  Such a violation can result in consequences ranging from receiving zero credit for an assignment or quiz to permanent expulsion from Rutgers University with an indication of this action placed on your permanent University record.

 Food Physical Systems: Fall 2003

 

Date	Tentative Topics and Dates
9/3	Introductions; Logistics; Thermodynamic Systems
9/8	Enthalpy, Entropy, and Free Energy: Review
9/10	Water & Water Activity: Chemical Potential
9/15	Soda & Beverages: Components & pH
9/17	Soda & Beverages: Carbonation
9/22	Colloids: Surface Energy and Its Consequences
9/24	Colloids: Surface Activity & Surface Active Molecules
9/29	Colloids: Association Colloids (Lipids)
10/1	Colloids: Particle Interactions
10/6	Midterm Exam
10/8	Milk: Components and Interactions
10/13	Milk Colloids: Casein Micelles and Lipid Droplets
10/15	Milk Processing: Curd Formation & Homogenization
10/20	Butter, Margarine & Chocolate: Components & Colloidal Structures
10/22	Butter, Margarine & Chocolate: Crystal Polymorphism & Function
10/27	Sugars: Colligative Properties
10/29	Sugars: Solubility
11/3	Sugars: Phase Diagrams & Crystallization
11/5	Sugars: Amorphous Solids & Candy
11/10	Midterm Exam
11/12	Hydrocolloid Structures: Carbohydrates and Gelatin
11/17	Hydrocolloids: Polymer Properties
11/19	Hydrocolloids: Basic Rheology
10/24	Hydrocolloids: Physical Functionality in Foods
12/1	Chemical Reactions: Diffusion and Diffusion Controlled Reactions in Solution
12/3	Chemical Reactions: Reaction Orders & Rates
12/8	Chemical Reactions: Effect of T & P; Shelf-life
12/10	Chemical Reactions: Amorphous Solids
12/??	Final Exam