Measuring Food Quality by Determining Fat Particle Size in Dairy and Food Emulsions using Laser Diffraction

The particle size of the fat droplets present in dairy and other food emulsions is important in defining properties such as flavor release, mouth feel and the emulsion stability. Large emulsion droplets can lead to poor flavor release, a greasy mouth feel and poor stability due to creaming. Emulsification to a smaller droplet size tends to reduce creaming and improve the taste of a product. Thus, a knowledge of the particle size is important in defining the functionality and taste of different food emulsion products. This application note demonstrates the analysis of the particle size of milk products using laser diffraction.