'Fast structuring' paves way for late-stage customisation

Scientists at the University of Nottingham, UK, are developing radical 'fast structuring' technologies that could enable 'late stage customisation' of a range of consumer products from spreads to cosmetics.

Dr Tim Foster, associate professor and reader in food structure at the university, and former senior scientist of food structural design at Unilever, said: "This harks back to a project I was involved in at Unilever to create a spread in 10 seconds that consumers could make for themselves. But the potential for this kind of technology in a range of products is huge."

The key benefit of such late-stage customisation in spreads was the ability to add water - the heaviest ingredient - at the last minute, he said. "This way, you're not paying to ship water around the world, because it is added at the end, so there are enormous environmental benefits in terms of energy use and distribution efficiencies.

"Late customisation also gives you more flexibility in your manufacturing process so you could make products closer to the consumer. Think of all the foods that contain emulsions where this might work - but also paints and cosmetics."

Foster, who spent more than 15 years in research and development at Unilever before returning to academia last year, is also researching the potential of fruit as a natural structuring agent. This follows on from work he started at Unilever in which fruit was used as a fat replacer and structuring/texturising agent in Solero ice creams instead of ingredients like locust bean gum or galactomannans.

He said: "What I am interested in, is, where does fruit get its structuring properties from? What part of the cellulose within the fruit structure is important? Or what part of the soluble pectin is important?"

Another key area of study was "understanding the fate of food in the body", said Foster. "If we can piece together the physiological triggers that affect food microstructure, from changes in pH to temperature, shear and enzyme attack, then we can put the rules of the game in place for controlled delivery of nutrients or energy into the body.

He added: "We also need to match what is happening in the brain as well as the gut, helping us to understand sweetness, fat perception and satiety."