Wageningen Food Biobased Research, Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands.
Food Funct. 2017 Jan 25;8(1):360-371. doi: 10.1039/c6fo01497f.
In this paper we investigate whether the Flory-Huggins theory can describe the thermodynamics of solutions of simple carbohydrates, like sugars and polyols. In particular, we focus on the description of the solubility of the carbohydrates in water. This is investigated for both binary and ternary mixtures, having two types of these carbohydrates. This research question arises especially in the case of bakery products, where one seeks to replace sucrose with other simple carbohydrates - which are often polyols. Based on the model parameters obtained from fitting the theory to the experimental data of binary solutions, we show that the theory can predict (a) solubility data for ternary mixtures, over a broad range of concentrations and temperatures, and (b) the deliquescence point of binary mixtures of carbohydrate crystals as a function of temperature. The theory can even be applied to carbohydrates, which form hydrate crystals. Together with our earlier theories on the thermodynamics of complex food mixtures, we have now a complete thermodynamic framework to describe the phase and state transitions of food materials as confectionery and bakery products, where the question of sucrose replacement is urgent.
在本文中，我们研究了 Flory-Huggins 理论是否可以描述简单碳水化合物（如糖和多元醇）溶液的热力学性质。特别是，我们关注碳水化合物在水中的溶解度的描述。这对于具有两种类型这些碳水化合物的二元和三元混合物进行了研究。这个研究问题在烘焙产品中尤其出现，在这些产品中，人们试图用其他简单碳水化合物（通常是多元醇）来替代蔗糖。基于从实验数据拟合理论得到的模型参数，我们表明该理论可以预测：（a）在广泛的浓度和温度范围内，三元混合物的溶解度数据；（b）碳水化合物晶体二元混合物的潮解点随温度的变化。该理论甚至可以应用于形成水合晶体的碳水化合物。结合我们早期关于复杂食品混合物热力学的理论，我们现在有了一个完整的热力学框架来描述糖果和烘焙产品等食品材料的相和状态转变，其中蔗糖替代的问题迫在眉睫。
