Glass Transition Temperature and Its Relevance in Food Processing

Amorphous, noncrystalline solids are typical of low water content and frozen foods. Solids in these foods, e.g., confectionary, dehydrated foods, cereal foods, and frozen foods, often form nonequilibrium glass-like structures. The glassy state of the solids forms during food processing in a reversible glass transition. Vitrification can occur in numerous glassy states that exhibit various relaxations around the glass transition. The success of freeze drying, spray drying, and extrusion and the stability of dehydrated foods against flow, collapse, and crystallization is based on the control of the glassy state during the dehydration process and storage. Encapsulation processes often use glass-forming materials to entrap dispersed components or improve retention of volatiles. Plasticization of the noncrystalline structures by temperature or water reduce relaxation times exponentially above the glass transition, which results in rapid deterioration. Critical values for water activity and water content express the level of water plasticization leading to glass transition in food storage.