A novel application of neutron scattering on dairy products

The successful application of spin echo small angle neutron scattering (SESANS) has been demonstrated for studying concentrated, turbid colloid suspensions with respect to their structure without dilution. The structure could be studied in a distance range between 50 nm and 3 μm. Data on the size distribution of casein micelles in non-diluted fat-free milk was obtained. This distribution is similar to earlier observations. The structure of casein gels resulting from processes aimed to simulate curdling (early stage of cheese making) and yoghurt production (acidification) was investigated and found to be not very different, the yoghurt gel being somewhat less dense.