Water-holding capacity and structure of hydrocolloid-gels, WPC-gels and yogurts characterised by means of NMR

The objective of this work is to illustrate the possibilities of NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) for characterising gels. As model food systems. carrageenan-gels/solutions and whey protein gels are studied. The water-holding capacity of gels including sol-gel transitions is investigated. Pore systems of gels are characterised by analysed diffusion experiments. Yogurt is used as an example of a complex food, and is treated with a special wash-out-test. This test allows conclusions concerning the trend to syneresis and the structure of the system. It is shown that NMR provides a powerful tool for tackling practice-relevant problems, such as syneresis, sandy mouth-feel or increased yield and to improve or develop appropriate processes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.