Elaboration of controlled structure foams with the SMX static mixer

A better control of the foaming process is important for food industry, as the structure of the liquid/gas mixture is a key parameter for the end‐used properties of foams. The main concern of this study is to present a methodology applicable to the parametric study of the foaming process that can help either to optimize the operating conditions or to adapt the formulation. We focused on the valorization of egg white proteins (EWPs). The method allows studying the effect of the process parameters on the foam structure and the effect of the thermal pretreatment of the EWP in the dry state on the rheology and the stability of foams. The foaming is achieved with a SMX10 static mixer, which allows the production of controlled structure foams. It is, therefore, possible to investigate the dependence of foam properties by comparing foams with the same alveolar structure in relation with their formulation. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 132–145, 2013