Bulk Properties of Food Particulate Materials: An Appraisal of their Characterisation and Relevance in Processing

The food industry is one of the largest commercial enterprises in the world today representing important contributions of the gross national product of many countries. Numerous raw materials and products in this industry are in powdered or particulate form, and their optimum characterisation for processing purposes, rely heavily in a deep knowledge of particle technology. Characterisation of the main bulk properties affecting processing, such as failure properties, bulk density and compressibility, are discussed in this article. Testing of these properties is far from standardised so the different manners of measurement are reviewed along with theoretical considerations, operating principles, and applications. The food industry should make more efficient use of its many processes involving powders and particulates in order to provide high quality products. In this sense, future competitiveness may be critically dependent on knowledge originated by research activities in particle technology applied to food materials.