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Updated: May 12, 2026
08:38
Microfluidic Devices for Characterizing Pore-scale Event Processes in Porous Media for Oil Recovery Applications
Published on: January 16, 2018
Prerequisites for pore formation in foods.
1Wageningen-Food & Biobased Research, Netherlands.
Current Research in Food Science
|May 11, 2026
Summary
Stable puffing in starchy foods requires matrix superheating and rapid glassy crust formation. Optimal pore expansion occurs when the Deborah number is near unity, guiding oil-free frying and drying technologies.
Area of Science:
- Food Science and Technology
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Puffing of starchy foods involves complex heat and mass transfer, phase transitions, and biopolymer matrix deformation.
- Understanding pore formation is crucial for developing advanced food processing techniques like oil-less frying.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate pore formation during starchy food puffing using a cell model.
- To derive criteria for stable pore formation (crust formation) for oil-less frying and intensive drying.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a cell model simulating heat transfer, moisture transport, vapor generation, and viscoelastic relaxation.
- Conducted simulations to explore pore growth and stabilization under various processing conditions.
- Analyzed matrix state trajectories in a starch state diagram.
Main Results:
- Pore formation necessitates matrix superheating (external temperature exceeding boiling point).
- Stable puffing requires rapid glassy crust formation, with the matrix final state in the glassy region.
- Optimal pore expansion is achieved at a Deborah number of approximately unity.
Conclusions:
- Physically based guidelines for optimizing oil-free frying and drying technologies were identified.
- Criteria for stable puffing are expressed in dimensionless numbers related to process conditions and material properties.
- The study provides insights into mechanisms of pore growth, stabilization, and collapse in starchy materials.
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