Microrheology and particle tracking in food gels and emulsions

Particle tracking microrheology, an emerging experimental technique, which utilizes the Brownian motion of embedded particles to probe local dynamics of soft materials, is presented. Particle tracking microrheology is a powerful technique that enables the measurement of viscoelastic responses in small sample volumes, which are inaccessible to macrorheology and to spatially map structural heterogeneities at a microlevel. Therefore, particle tracking microrheology has considerable potential in food emulsions and gels, since these systems are commonly inhomogeneous. Recent advances and achievements are discussed, including the basic principles, operating regimes and limitations of the technique. The application of the technique in the field of food gels and emulsions to study the evolving dynamics of inhomogeneous at microscale length systems and during sol–gel transition is highlighted. [Display omitted] •The emerging technique particle tracking microrheology (PMT) is presented.•Microrheology studies the mechanical properties of a material on micro-length scale.•The potential use of PMT to study food gels and emulsions is reviewed.•PMT can efficiently investigate sol–gel transitions and microheterogeneities.