The crystalline state

Abstract

From the snap, gloss and texture of chocolate to the shelf life of frozen foods, crystalline microstructure plays a very important role in the texture, appearance, shelf life and overall quality of many foods. The total amount of crystalline phase in a food, as well as the size distribution and shape of the crystals within the food, can affect the physical properties of the product. Furthermore, some materials in food can crystallize in different polymorphic forms so that control of polymorphic transformations may also be necessary. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.