Thomas Vilgis

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• Prof. Dr.
• Researcher at Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research

The common feature of the large variety of raw and cooked foods is that they are multi-component materials that consist at least of proteins, carbohydrates, fat and water. These basic classes of molecules define most of the structural and textural properties of the foods cooked and processed in the kitchen. Given the different solubility of these c...

Selective denaturation of meat proteins - essential to reach desired textures - requires cooking temperatures corresponding to their different structure and interactions. Sous-vide cooking allows precise control over the denaturation state of meat proteins (and thus the cooking state of meat products) due to the possibility to cook at very well def...

This review discusses the (soft matter) physics of food. Although food is generally not considered as a typical model system for fundamental (soft matter) physics, a number of basic principles can be found in the interplay between the basic components of foods, water, oil/fat, proteins and carbohydrates. The review starts with the introduction and...

Heating of tapioca starch dispersions at low concentration (<10% w/w) forms highly viscous and translucent pastes. In this work, a completely cold soluble tapioca starch powder is produced by spray drying of a previously gelatinized starch paste. Rehydrating the powder yields a viscous paste with a loss in elasticity. Its combination with nongellin...

An analysis of food materials often involves characterization of the molecular composition of the food matrix and measuring its mechanical properties. However, there is a gap in understanding how food materials organize at the microscopic level. This article shows the application of minimally invasive coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) mi...

Foie gras (pâté) is an exceptional delicacy with a distinctive sensory profile. However, the animals, primarily ducks and geese, are force-fed a high-caloric cereals-based diet to obtain the fatty liver. With increasing awareness of ethical conditions and animal welfare, products that mimic the unique textural characteristics of foie gras pâté are...

Emulsifiers are often used in the processing of pâtés based on various spreadable and solid meat products to maintain physical properties during production and to maintain the quality of the final product when key components, such as fat composition, are changed. Emulsifiers have been proven as useful tools to control and achieve desired properties...

Hard particle dispersions are abundant in food as well as technical applications. In particular, the production of many candies like fondants, crystalline sugars or creamed honeys involves agitation of concentrated suspensions of microscopic crystals in saturated solutions. However, the complex rheological behavior of such non-colloidal suspensions...

Plant-based meat analogues are considered a sustainable substitute for meat. However, the current attempts to reproduce the visible fibrous structure on a macro scale (1 mm) have not yet achieved the desired texture properties. The role of the meso-scale fiber structure (50–200 μm) in the meat texture remains uncertain. To characterize the texture...

Physics Nobel laureate Giorgio Parisi recently proposed a novel approach to cooking pasta that is more energy-efficient: Bring the water to a boil, add the pasta, cover the pot with a lid, and turn off the heat source. This heat-off-lid-on (hofflon) method saves energy. Other suggestions recommend soaking dried pasta in cold water to shorten the co...

The properties and arrangement of surface‐active molecules at air‐water interfaces influence foam stability and bubble shape. Such multiscale‐relationships necessitate a well‐conducted analysis of mesoscopic foam properties. We introduce a novel automated and precise method to characterize bubble growth, size distribution and shape based on image a...

Introduction: Fluid gels exhibit a unique flow behaviour. Their pronounced viscoelastic behaviour arises from irregular microgel particles, leading to plasticity and yielding, as well as a characteristic transition from a solid to a fluid-like state. This is defined by both the core and the surface structures of the particles. Adding co-solutes suc...

Crystallization from highly supersaturated, agitated (sheared and stirred) solution is a highly non-equilibrium process. Despite being an often observed and intended process, basic scientific research on the rheology of such systems is lacking. This paper presents findings on changes in flow properties and particle formation during crystallization...

Jellyfish as a potential sustainable food material has recently gained increasing interest. However, with their soft gel-like texture and easy spoilage, it remains challenging to achieve desirable edible structures from...

Incorporating scientific aspects from the physics and chemistry of soft matter contributes to a better understanding. It is not enough to read the summaries of the studies. The results must be put into context with the study design, as they are often dependent on it. Studies should never be considered in isolation, but always in connection with exi...

The term industrialization today strongly suggests altered food. The industrialization of food and agriculture inevitably began with sedentism, and the resulting production and trade forms had a major impact on human nutrition. The effects of industrialization on the molecular composition of food are of crucial importance. Using simple examples—ani...

In this introductory chapter, the foundations for the molecular understanding of food are laid. It is shown how chemical structures and molecular interactions can already reveal elementary connections in order to prevent misunderstandings in nutritional issues from arising in the first place. It is about properties and functions of macro- and micro...

From the beginning of the universe, through the formation of atoms and molecules, from the first self-organized cells to today’s complex biosystems, every process follows strict natural laws. Therefore, it is necessary to also view food and its nutritional value from this perspective. This opens up a different viewpoint and expands even the underst...

How harmful is food, which food components cause illness? And what is healthy? What should no longer be eaten? What must be eaten in order to make a long, healthy life possible? These questions can be heard and read almost daily. From a scientific point of view, there are usually no answers. In this chapter, these questions are investigated using t...

To this day, our diet is determined by fire. However, the settling down of humans after the Stone Age brought new foods into the diet, such as cereals, milk, and dairy products, as well as new techniques, like controlled fermentation. In order for milk to become digestible for humans, a point mutation in the DNA was necessary. Lactose tolerance was...

The role of enjoyment in nutrition plays a larger role than previously assumed. In this context, attitude and handling of food, as well as their appreciation, are of central importance for enjoyment. These parameters are ultimately determined by the composition of the food, as they determine its enjoyment potential, but also its nutritional value.

Heat moisture treatment (HMT) was used to improve the functionalities of elephant foot yam starch (EFYS) by using selected heating techniques such as hot air oven (HAO), autoclave (AL), and microwave (MW). The swelling power and solubility were reduced significantly after HMT modification, whereas an increase in amylose content was detectable after...

Supersaturated sucrose solutions that have been sufficiently cooled without nucleation represent a metastable system in which agitation promotes fast crystallization. Applications of this physically interesting process can be found, for example, in the production of fondants in confectionery. This work considers supersaturated sucrose–water solutio...

Oleosomes have emerged in the last decade as a multipurpose oil-in-water emulsion suitable for engineering new lipids materials. The need to increase alternative and sustainable methods to modulate the rheological properties of emulsions has been the leading research interest in the oleogelation field. Soybean oleosomes are evaluated as building bl...

Heat moisture treatment (HMT) was used to improve the functionalities of elephant foot yam starch (EFYS) by using selected heating techniques such as hot air oven (HAO), autoclave (AL), and microwave (MW). The swelling power and solubility were reduced significantly after HMT modification, whereas an increase in amylose content was detectable after...

A simple method for structuring natural oleosome emulsions by polymer-bridging mechanism is proposed. Polymer bridging of oleosome droplets was induced by the addition of two different adsorbing polymers. Over a range of polymer/oleosome ratios, the mixture results in the formation of a particle gel network of aggregated oleosome droplets. It is fo...

This research proposes a gelation method using soybean oleosomes as templates in combination with polysaccharides. Two anionic polysaccharides, sodium alginate, and xanthan gum were investigated for their ability to induce bridging flocculation. Bridging flocculation occurs when flexible polysaccharides such as alginate strongly interact with oppos...

The primary structures of peptides, originating from food proteins, affect their taste. Connecting primary structure to taste, however, is difficult because the size of the peptide sequence space increases exponentially with increasing peptide length, while experimentally-labeled data on peptides' tastes remain scarce. We propose a method that coar...

Fluid gels exhibit unique properties during oral processing and thus are well known in gastronomy as well as for use in dysphagia patients. Agarose fluid gels, which are produced by gelation under shear, in particular, show elastic solid-like behavior at rest but a fluid-like behavior once critical stress is exceeded. In a previous study this speci...

Plant based meat surrogates attract increasing interest. Modern methods of biotechnology, food chemistry/technology, and process engineering allow for surrogates with high optical similarity. Nowadays, targeted molecular-sensory methods taste and smell to be largely approximated to the original products. Nevertheless, the products appear completely...

Starch isolated from elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) was modified by heat moisture treatment (HMT) using various heating sources viz. hot air oven (HAO), autoclave (AL), and microwave (MW). Morphology, surface roughness, thermal, structural, and dynamic rheological properties of native and HMT modified elephant foot yam starch (EFY...

Paraffin wax is a mixture of numerous unbranched hydrocarbons used frequently for various purposes: to improve the shelf life of products containing lipid system and develop more shiny products. However, because of its complex nature, the effect of such molecular structure on the solid phase behavior of lipids is hardly unstated. Hence in our study...

Consumption of highly digestible native starch is considered to be detrimental for diabetes and obese patients. To address this issue, starch extracted from elephant foot yam was subjected to the heat moisture treatment (HMT) using various heating sources i.e. hot air oven (HAO), microwave (MW), and autoclave (AL). The research focuses on the key c...

Agarose, a strongly gelling polysaccharide, is a common ingredient used to optimize the viscoelastic properties of a multitude of food products. Through aggregation of double helices via hydrogen bonds while cooling under quiescent conditions it forms firm and brittle gels. However, this behavior can be altered by manipulating the processing condit...

Oleosomes are a micron sized mass of oil droplets enclosed by a specific membrane of protein-phospholipid mixtures typically found in plants and microorganisms to serve as an energy reserve for potential needs. Interest in plant-derived oleosomes in the food industry has recently grown significantly, as these unique natural emulsions are made of un...

In this study, the complex coacervation mechanism of Lauric arginate ester (LAE) with λ-carrageenan was studied using turbidimetry, light scattering and electrophoresis. The complexes formed were found to have a bilayer-like structure using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and cryo-TEM (transmission electron microscopy). It was observed that mix...

Colostrum puddings are widely popular in India as well as in some European countries. To prepare these desserts fresh colostrum from the first or second day of lactation is heated and flavoured by adding spices and sugar. Depending on the day of lactation the colostrum is mixed with normal milk in order to achieve a thinner consistency. However, no...

Bei den Jägern und Sammlern schien das Essen wenig kompliziert zu sein. Es ging nur um das Überleben. Vor dem Feuer war Essen überhaupt nicht kompliziert: Hielt Nahrung der Geschmacks- und Geruchsprüfung stand, wurde sie gegessen.

VerglichenHygiene mit unseren Vorfahren leben wir in einer eher sterilen Welt. Unendliche strenge Hygienevorschriften machen nicht nur Bauern das Leben schwer, sondern auch Verbrauchern. Keine Frage, LebensmittelsicherheitLebensmittelsicherheit ist notwendig, vor allem bei Massenprodukten aus industrieller Erzeugung.

Dieser Satz, oft scherzhaft ausgesprochen, zeigt letztlich die große Verunsicherung der Menschen in Ernährungsfragen. Ist das Lebensmittel gesund? Ist das Lebensmittel schädlich? Wenn die einen Lebensmittel krank machen, muss es doch auch Lebensmittel geben, die heilen? Und was sind die richtigen Superfoods für mich? Zur Vorsicht esse ich lieber fr...

Früher war alles besser. Zumindest beim Essen, so scheint es, wenn es nach vielen Auslassungen in der Presse, in Büchern und Fernsehbeiträgen geht. Das mag subjektiv so sein, bewiesen oder gar sachlich sind diese Aussagen nicht.

Viele Beobachtungsstudien lesen sich aus strikter mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlicher Sicht wie Pseudowissenschaft. Die Misere vieler Studien offenbarte sich in Abb. 4.2. Lebensmittel können, je nach Studiendesign „gesund“ oder „ungesund“ sein. Derartige Ergebnisse einzuordnen scheint schwierig. In solchen Fällen hilft ein evidenzbasierter Blick i...

Bis heute wird unsere (Ess-)Kultur durch das Feuer bestimmt. So ist es nicht verwunderlich, dass wir, wie es immer wieder von vermeintlichen Hightech-Köchen belächelt wird, heute noch so essen wie vor Tausenden von Jahren.

BeiNeolithikum dem Begriff IndustrialisierungIndustrialisierung denken wir verständlicherweise als Erstens an die „böse Lebensmittelindustrie“, die unser Essen kaputtmacht. Die Industrialisierung des Essens und der Agrarwirtschaft geht allerdings viel weiter zurück. Bereits die Sesshaftigkeit und die sich daraus ergebenden Produktions- und Handelsf...

To control rheological properties and accomplish perfect sensory properties and mouthfeel, polysaccharides are added to milk-based beverages. However, in contrast to expectations, it is often found that adding low concentrations of xanthan gum or guar gum to milk provokes phase separations of unclear physical origin. From this observation, question...

Several studies have investigated xanthan-guar gum (XG-GG), xanthan-locust bean gum (XG-LBG), and xanthan-konjac glucomannan (XG-KGM) blends but little attention has been paid to the physical interactions between the hydrocolloids on a molecular basis. This requires a consistent sample preparation. Often, LBG is heated up to dissolve completely and...

In this study the heat induced synergistic gelation of different hydrocolloid solutions, xanthan gum types (XG) in mixture with galactomannans like guar gum (GG), locust bean gum (LBG) and konjac glucomannan (KGM) is investigated. The physical mechanism of the synergy in thickening and gelling of blends depends on the monomer structure, the molecul...

The comparative study between the mixing behavior of two binary mixtures of cocoa butter (CB)/tristearin (TS) and cocoa butter (CB)/coconut oil (CO) was investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The DSC profile for CB/TS blends resulted in a monotectic temperature–concentration (T–X) phase diagram, whereas a phase diagram of eu...

Verstehen Sie die unzähligen, widersprüchlichen Ernährungsempfehlungen nicht mehr? Können Sie beim Cholesterin nur ganz schwer zwischen Gut und Böse unterscheiden? Verstehen Sie nicht, warum 12 Nüsse pro Tag gut für Ihr Herz und Kreislauf sein sollen? Sind Sie hin- und hergerissen zwischen verschiedenen Ernährungsregeln und Ernährungsformen, die tä...

Caviar and other fish roe are among the most popular culinary sensations in gastronomy. The perception of fish eggs in the mouth is mostly driven by physical quantities. The skin, a soft solid layer of the eggs bursts under pressure during oral processing and releases the taste and aroma compound in the mouth. The mechanical properties of fish eggs...

Die vorliegende Datei wird Ihnen von der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften unter einer Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivateWorks 4.0 International (cc by-nc-nd 4.0) Licence zur Verfügung gestellt. In: Abecedarium der Sprache / Constanze Fröhlich, Martin Grötschel, Wolfgang Klein (Hg.).-ISBN: 978-3-86599-416-5.-Be...

The main aim of this research is to investigate the characteristics of milk and milk proteins as natural emulsifiers. It is still largely unclear how the two main fractions of the milk proteins behave as emulsifier in highly concentrated emulsions. The surface-active effect of these is determined experimentally for emulsions with a high oil content...

A model gel of whey protein isolate (WPI) was prepared by cold gelation with calcium. This system was modified by the addition of free cysteine residues (Cys) at different steps of the process. The WPI cold-set gels obtained were then subjected to heat treatment at 90°C. First, the effect of Cys addition on the heat-induced aggregation of WPI was s...

This paper revisits the preparation of jellyfish as food from a soft matter physics point of view. Jellyfish is an example of a “living gel” which can be transformed into edible matter with textures unlike any other food matter. In contrast to most food, jellyfish cannot be cooked in classical ways by increasing the temperature, or by preservation...

Beim Genuss von Pasta lässt sich, ganz abgesehen vom Geschmack der Sauce, eine ganze Reihe fundamentaler Prinzipen der Physik weich kondensierter Materie erforschen, etwa die Elastizität gekochter Pasta oder die Sprödigkeit getrockneter Nudeln. Entscheidend für diese Phänomene ist letztlich die Beweglichkeit der Moleküle. Selbst der Pastateig ist e...

In this work, inulin particle gels, prepared with a type of long chain inulin, were examined in terms of their structural properties and mechanical response, depending on the applied shear rates and temperature during gel preparation. The results are interpreted on the basis of a particle gel model, which takes into account the varying gel structur...

Beizen ist eine uralte Methode, Fisch zu konservieren. Dazu wird das Fischfilet großzügig mit Kräutern, Salz und Zucker bedeckt und für acht Stunden gebeizt, wobei je nach Rezeptur das Verhältnis von Salz und Zucker zwischen 1:1 bis 2:1 rangiert. Weniger bekannt sind die physikalischen Vorgänge auf molekularer Skala und die sich dabei offenbarende...

This study aims at development of a new method to form emulsion-based yoghurt like gels from, but not limited to hazelnut. For this purpose, hazelnut slurries with varying solid content were processed using a microfluidizer to obtain creamy structures possessing high consistency. Then, these slurries were processed into fermented hazelnut products...

Eine Englische Creme, küchensprachlich Crème Anglais, ist eine Universalcreme aus Zucker, Eigelb, Milch und Sahne, die für sich bereits als ausgezeichnetes Dessert schmeckt, aber auch als Basis für Eis, Puddings oder Füllungen für Gebäck dient. Damit die komplexe Flüssigkeit ihre cremige Konsistenz erhält, wird sie „zur Rose abgezogen“. Hinter dies...

Wie kocht ein Physiker seine Pasta „al dente“? Welche sensorischen Wahrnehmungen gibt es, wenn wir etwas Leckeres essen? Hat gesunde Ernährung immer etwas mit Verzicht zu tun? Schmeckt Essen besser, während wir Musik hören? Was hilft beim „Männerschnupfen“ wirklich? Und hat die Digitalisierung mittlerweile auch die Küche erobert? Diese und viele we...

Statt Fisch zu dämpfen, zu kochen oder zu braten, reicht es häufig, das kalte, mundgerecht geschnittene Fischfilet mit einer heißen, wohlschmeckenden Brühe zu übergießen und ihn über den Austausch von Wärme garzuziehen. Alternativ kann man den filetierten Fisch auch mit geschmolzenem Bienenwachs übergießen, denn beim Festwerden wird Kristallisation...

In this article, we present two principal stimuli that affect the deformation response: additional covalent crosslinking and external deformation. Additional crosslinking leads to hybrid gels which show improved toughness in comparison to the physical gels. The article considers also the change of response of the model as a consequence of external...

Pommes soufflées gelten als Highlight der gehobenen Kartoffelküche. Etwa drei Millimeter dünne Kartoffelscheiben werden in zwei Ölbädern unterschiedlicher Temperaturen zu knusprigen Kissen aufgeblasen. Dabei kontrolliert die Temperatur Garung, Rissbildung, Verdampfen und Aufblähung.

Gele gehören zum Standardrepertoire in der Küche. Der hochkonzentrierte Geschmack in einen weichen Festkörper gepackt, entpuppt sich im Mund als eine an Physik gekoppelte Sensorik, wenn Elastizität, Brucheigenschaften und Geschmacksfreigabe gekoppelt werden. Die Gelierung ist dabei eng an einen mehrstufigen molekularen Prozess geknüpft.

In der Kulinarik sind Aromakontraste oder auch das Spiel mit unerwarteten Reizen gern gesehen. Bitterschokolade, ein kristalliner Festkörper, mit größeren Salzkristallen steuert die Sensorik bewusst mit thermodynamischen Parametern: dem Lösen der Salzkristalle und dem zeitversetzten Schmelzen der Kakaobutter.

Food and food-related stimuli can be powerful elicitors of affect. Here we investigated how the valence of food pictures and the consummation of meals with different arrangements on the plate modulate physiological and subjective variables. In particular, we presented pictures of food stimuli rated as high or average in terms of valence, before and...

The structural determination and manipulation of bottle-brush polymers, a class of polymers with serially grafted side-chains, is challenging due to the interplay of side-chain and backbone interactions over various length scales. The present work performs a detailed analysis, using molecular dynamics simulation techniques, to unravel these interac...

Plant oleosomes are uniquely emulsified lipid reservoirs that serve as the primary energy source during seed germination. These oil bodies undergo significant changes regarding their size, composition and structure during normal seedling development; however, a detailed characterization of these oil body dynamics, which critically affect oil body e...

Viele Eishersteller nützen “Stabilisatoren”, zum Beispiel Gelatine, ein langes, kettenförmiges Molekül, dessen Grundbausteine, die Aminosäuren, sowohl wasserlöslich als auch wasserunlöslich sind. Dabei sind die hydrophilen Aminosäuren polar, positiv und negativ geladen. Damit bindet Gelatine viel Wasser und verleiht dem Eis einen formidablen Stand.

Many soft materials can be viewed as networks of different structure and complexity. Their (statistical) physics determine their elastic deformation behavior, fracture, and failure. In food systems, similar properties are of importance. This contribution discusses some of the common points between elastic materials and food gels. Topics range from...

Pulled Pork ist die Herausforderung am Grill. Durchwachsenes Schweinefleisch wie Schulter oder Nacken wird in den nur schwach beheizten Grill mit Räucherspänen gelegt und sanft über 12 bis 18 Stunden “gesmoked”, um es danach entlang der Muskelfasern zu separieren. Interessant ist dabei der Verlauf der Kerntemperatur. Sie zeigt eine lange Plateaupha...

Werden Schweinemedaillons bei gro?er Hitze gebraten, geraten sie oft trocken, z?h und faserig. Hohe Temperaturen bekommen manchen Proteinen offenbar nicht besonders gut. Grund genug, sich das thermische Verhalten der relevanten Eiwei?e im Lendenmuskel genauer anzusehen.

Using Molecular Dynamics simulation of a model hybrid cross-link hydrogel, we investigate the network damage evolution and the related structure transformations. We model the hydrogel structure as a network-connected assembly of crosslinked clusters whereby deformation-induced damage is considered along with network recovery. The two principal mech...

Ob gegartes Fleisch saftig ist und auf der Zunge zergeht, hängt maßgeblich vom Denaturierungsgrad seiner Muskelproteine ab und der darin verbliebenen Konzentration an Fleischsäften, also Wasser. Kalorimetrische Messungen zeigen, dass hierfür neben der Gartemperatur die häufig unterschätzte Gardauer eine Rolle spielt.