Food Technology and Processing

Food Physical Chemistry

Food physical chemistry is considered to be a branch of Food Chemistry concerned with the study of both physical and chemical interactions in foods in terms of physical and chemical principles applied to food systems, as well as the applications of physical/chemical techniques and instrumentation for the study of food. This field encompasses the "physiochemical principles of the reactions and conversions that occur during the manufacture, handling, and storage of food.

Food physical chemistry concepts are often drawn from rheology, theories of transport phenomena, physical and chemical thermodynamics, chemical bonds and interaction forces, quantum mechanics and reaction kinetics, biopolymer science, colloidal interactions, nucleation, glass transitions and freezing, disordered/ non - crystalline solids.

Understanding food processes and the properties of foods requires a knowledge of physical chemistry and how it applies to specific foods and food processes. Food physical chemistry is essential for improving the quality of foods, their stability and food product development. Because food science is a multi-disciplinary field, food physical chemistry is being developed through interactions with other areas of food chemistry and food science, such as: food analytical chemistry, food processig, food and bioprocess technology, food quality control, food packaging, food biotechnology and food microbiology.