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J. N. COUPLAND, Dept. of Food Science, Pennsylvania State Univ., 103 Borland Lab., University Park, PA 16802-2504 The development of reduced calorie foods is often expressed in terms of a cost-benefit analysis: the food is not quite as good, but is accepted to a greater or lesser extent because it fits better into our nutritional goals. This talk addresses the question of what is it about reduced calorie foods that makes them “not quite as good”, and what is the potential of instrumental analysis methods to identify the causes of these flaws as part of the product development process. Perceived differences between high and low calorie foods depend on physicochemical, physiological and psychological factors but here the main focus is on the important physical parameters. Flavor interactions are only examined as they are impacted by microstructure. The functional properties of foods, including the deficiencies of low calorie foods, are explicable in terms of the molecular and colloidal interactions of its components at smaller scales. Structure and functionality can be measured instrumentally but must ultimately be related to sensory response. The determination of structure-function-sensory relationships for high fat foods (e.g., solid fat dispersions, emulsions, low-moisture foods) is examined along with their relationship to sensory properties. These relationships are then compared and contrasted with similar studies on lower fat alternatives and the potential for instrumental identification of the sensory defects of reduced calorie foods are identified (e.g., melting properties, rheological properties, lubricity). A similar approach is taken to other caloric ingredients.
Session 8, Physics and chemistry of modifying food for caloric reduction
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