Master's Course Advanced Food Physics - Rheology and Fracture of Soft Solids

Why follow this course?

In this course we study the relation between the microstructure of soft solid food products (gels, plastic fats, or cellular materials) and emulsions, and the physical properties of these products. A general discussion of rheological properties of soft solid materials will be given that introduces the Young's modulus, bulk modulus, bi-axial modulus, shear modulus, Poisson ratio, Cauchy strain, Hencky strain, fracture stress, deformation at fracture, and work of fracture. We will study the structure of covalent gels, physical gels, particle gels, plastic fats and cellular materials, and discuss how that structure is affected by experimental conditions. We will also see how the rheological properties of these materials are related to their microstructure. The course also provides insight in the stability and properties of emulsions, stabilized by surfactants, proteins, polymers or colloidal particles.

Programme & topics

View online knowledge clips, solve problems in online tutorials.

What you'll learn

• understand the relationship between colloidal structure of common food products and their stability and physical properties
• understand how the microstructure of materials is affected by experimental parameters such as temperature, concentration, pH, and ionic strength

Capstone project

After completion of two or more courses there is a unique opportunity to apply what you have learned. You can start a capstone project in consultation with a Wageningen expert in the field. It is a tailor-made project, where you will write a short paper about your results and conclusions. During this work you will be coached by the expert. Price: €1,230,-.

Examination

You can complete the online master's course(s) with an exam (not obligatory). If you don’t complete the course with an exam or if you do not pass the exam successfully, you can ask for a certificate of attendance. When you successfully complete the course and the eam, you are entitled to a certificate of successful completion. The certificate is included in the course price. The date of examination is 09/04/2023.

After completing this course you may receive micro-credentials. Micro-credentials certify the learning outcomes of short-term learning experiences, marking the quality of a course. More information can be found here.

Practical information

Deadline registration

The deadline for registration of this online master's course is 2 weeks before the start date. If you register less than 2 weeks before the start date, we will do our best to get you enrolled in the course(s) to which you registered before the start date of the course, but we can’t guarantee a timely start. Please contact the course coordinator for more information via the contact form.

Level of knowledge

Admission to the course requires a level of education in Food Science and Technology or related, such as Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology. Relevant work experience can be considered.

English proficiency

The language of instruction of this course is in English. Admission to the course requires a level of English as defined at the website for Dutch nationals, EU nationals or nationals outside EU/EFTA respectively.

Micro-credentials

After completing this course you may receive micro-credentials. Micro-credentials certify the learning outcomes of short-term learning experiences, marking the quality of a course.

Combining courses

When you want to learn more about physics for food structure, other courses are interesting for you too! You can deepen your knowledge in a specific career field, without following a complete master's programme. You can register for any combination, but these are our suggestions:

• Food Structuring – Structuring by Temperature, Designing Edible Barriers (strongly recommended)
• Food Structuring – Structuring by Deformation, Properties of Interfacial Systems (strongly recommended)