Influence of protein heat treatment on the continuous production of food foams

The influence of WPI heat treatment on the continuous production of food foams was investigated using a model food including xanthan. The temperature of heat treatment was increased up to 90 °C using a plate heat exchanger; a rotor-stator unit was used for aeration purpose. The aim was to determine the interplay between heat-induced protein denaturation and aggregation, and the process parameters of aeration operation: namely, rotation speed, residence time and operating pressure. Microstructure, texture and stability of 200% overrun foams were analysed. Experimental results demonstrated that foam microstructure, namely overrun and bubble size distribution, was governed by the process parameters of aeration and depended only slightly on thermal treatment. Conversely, foam stability was strongly improved by heat treatment. These trends agreed roughly with results obtained in a batch kitchen mixer, but batch methods remained unable to predict quantitatively the behaviours observed in continuous aeration operation.