Microscopy and other imaging techniques in food structure analysis

TLDR: In this paper, the use of microscopy and imaging techniques for evaluating food structure is discussed. But, as mentioned before, these techniques cannot be directly applied to study food structure because the processing conditions that turn biological raw materials into food cause structural and textural changes which, in turn, change the innate properties and behaviour of the foods.

Abstract: Microscopy and imaging techniques are the most appropriate techniques for evaluating food structure because they are the only analytical methods that produce results in the form of images rather than numbers. However, images may now also be converted into numerical data to allow for statistical evaluation. Advances in microscopy and imaging techniques are made, for the most part, outside the field of food science, drawing from the fields of materials science, biology and medicine. Such techniques cannot, in most cases, be directly applied to study food structure. They must be adapted because the processing conditions that turn biological raw materials into food cause structural and textural changes which, in turn, change the innate properties and behaviour of the foods. This necessitates the development of appropriate methods and also the specialization of researchers. Future developments in this field can be divided into the use of new equipment developed for use in other fields, and the application of techniques modified to solve specific food science problems, such as the development of new foods with particular properties and texture or the detection of defects in foods.