A high-throughput cost-effective platform for monitoring viscoelastic transitions in hydrocolloids
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Formulating (semi)solid food with hydrocolloids increasingly requires rapid, quantitative methods to monitor properties like viscosity and elasticity development. Conventional rheometry provides detailed characterization but is slow and sample-intensive for screening larger formulation spaces. Here we present a high-throughput, low-cost imaging platform that dynamically captures viscoelastic transitions using simple laboratory equipment. The motion of a sphere under controlled agitation and temperature cycling is tracked with deep-learning-based object detection to quantify mobility as a proxy for viscoelastic behavior. The platform was validated across four representative systems spanning distinct rheological classes: gelatin showed temperature-dependent gelation and hysteresis between cooling and heating cycles; glucose syrup displayed smooth, concentration-dependent viscosity increase without hysteresis; carboxymethyl cellulose exhibited entanglement-driven thickening without gel formation or hysteresis; and κ-carrageenan showed KCl-induced gelation followed by syneresis at high ionic strength. Results agreed closely with oscillatory rheology, capturing transition thresholds and temperature-concentration trends. The platform thus enables dynamic, parallel rheological characterization using minimal instrumentation and sample volume, providing a scalable foundation for data-driven formulation, process optimization, and high-throughput exploration of soft food materials.
Source: Journal of Food Engineering
Institution: University of Copenhagen
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,350
Funder: Novo Nordisk Fonden
OpenAlex ID: W7130700642