Size, Concentration, and Shape Evaluation of Particles in Beverages: Quantitative Evaluation of Beverage Texture

Introduction

The size, concentration, and shape of particles in beverages affect the texture of the beverage when consumed. If the particle size exceeds about 20 μm, a beverage will feel rough on the tongue. Beverage texture also differs depending on the concentration and shape of the particles. Laser diffraction method and microscopic observation are used as methods for evaluating particles in beverages. However, laser diffraction method enables quick measurement of the particle size by spherical conversion, but cannot obtain information on the particle shape or concentration. Although particle shape evaluation is possible by microscopic observation, it is difficult to evaluate an adequate number of particles due to the time required by measurements. The Shimadzu iSpect™ DIA-10 dynamic particle image analysis system (Fig. 1), which is based on the dynamic image analysis method, is an instrument that makes it possible to acquire images of particles in liquid samples and conduct measurements of the size distribution, concentration, and shape of particles, and is capable of measuring tens of thousands of particles in only a few minutes. This article introduces an example of evaluations of particles in PET bottle type green tea beverages and yogurt products using the iSpect DIA-10.

December 10, 2020 GMT