From dairy to plant products: Understanding their structural fingerprints with X-rays

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Materials Science
• Rheology

Background:

• Growing consumer demand for plant-based alternatives due to health, allergen, and sustainability concerns.
• Limited understanding of plant-based product microstructure and rheology compared to dairy.
• Need for comparative studies across different plant sources and brands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the structural fingerprints of commercial plant-based milk, yoghurt, and cream alternatives versus dairy products.
• To correlate structural features with composition (fat, carbohydrates) and functional properties (viscosity, melting behavior).
• To establish a basis for interpreting scattering data and optimizing plant-based formulations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ultra-small, small, and wide-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS, SAXS, WAXS) for multi-length scale structural characterization.
• Employed light scattering to confirm fat-content-related size trends and identify non-lipid structures.
• Developed structural fingerprint plots for data interpretation and potential AI analysis.

Main Results:

• Characterized structures from large oil droplets to carbohydrate/protein networks and glyceride crystalline phases.
• Correlated USAXS intensity with fat content and SAXS intensity with carbohydrate content.
• Observed distinct structural features in plant-based alternatives, including larger non-lipid structures.

Conclusions:

• Scattering techniques provide crucial insights into the structure-function relationships of plant-based food alternatives.
• Structural fingerprinting aids in understanding and optimizing formulation for desired properties like viscosity and melting behavior.
• This research highlights the potential of scattering methods for advancing food structure research and product design.