Physical Properties of Foods

Understanding the physical properties of foods is important as they are used in process design, product and process optimization, product development, food quality control and food process modeling.

This book provides a fundamental understanding of physical properties of foods. Basic definitions and principles of physical properties are discussed as well as the importance of physical properties in the food industry and measurement methods. In addition, recent studies in physical properties area are summarized.

The material presented is helpful for students to understand the relationship between physical and functional properties of raw, semi-finished, and processed food in order to obtain products with desired shelf-life and quality. Each chapter provides examples and problems, which teach students to analyze experimental data to generate practical information. In addition, the material in the book may be of interest to people who are working in the field of Food Science, Food Technology, Biological Systems Engineering, Food Process Engineering, or Agricultural Engineering. The book also can be used as a reference by graduate students and researchers who deal with physical properties.

About the authors

Serpil Sahin and Servet Gülüm Sumnu are Professors at the Middle East Technical University’s Department of Food Engineering.

• chemistry
• food industry
• food science
• physical properties
• process engineering

"A comprehensive and coherent treatise on most relevant physical properties of foods, Sahin and Sumnu’s book presents the reader with an interesting and challenging lecture. While specifically targeting food engineers, scientists and technologists, the book can be an excellent addition to any science and engineering curricula or library. The outlay and content of each chapter make them extremely easy to read, presenting both general information and in-depth knowledge for the more technical audience. ... Throughout the book, the importance of each food property type is highlighted and explained, with detailed mathematical reasoning where appropriate. The different direct and indirect methods for determining the respective food property, coupled with several relevant examples and many practice problems at the end of each chapter, are some of the characteristics of the book that make it particularly appealing for its use as a reference or textbook in a dedicated or general FoodScience,Food Engineering or Food Technology course.

Physical Properties of Foods is an excellent reference for food engineers and other food scientists, and I highly recommend it for use as a textbook or as a reference in Food Science and Engineering curricula."

- Dorin Boldor, Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, Louisiana State University & LSU AgCenter
Journal of Food Processing and Preservation Volume 31 Issue 1 February 2007

• Department of Food Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey

  Serpil Sahin, Servet Gülüm Sumnu

Serpil Sahin and Servet Gülüm Sumnu are Professors at the Middle East Technical University’s Department of Food Engineering.

Policies and ethics