Patrick Gunning
Institute of Food Research, UK
Title: The F-factor: Force microscopy in food research
Biography
Biography: Patrick Gunning
Abstract
How does nanoscience and nanotechnology impact food? The nano world is inhabited by particulate nanomaterials with
characteristic dimensions in the range of 1-100 nm. In foods this length scale embodies the molecular structures in raw
materials and the molecular additives and ingredients introduced to generate function. The application of force microscopy
to probe how such structures dictate functionality will be illustrated with examples ranging from the biosynthesis and
enzymatic breakdown of starch, how structures dictate emergent properties of polysaccharides and interfacial protein
films, and the potential for bioactivity of dietary carbohydrates. In addition, new methods for studying the force interactions
which govern the stability of the soft matter systems found in complex multiphase foods will be presented.