Stickiness and Adhesion Mechanisms in Food Systems
Summary
Stickiness and adhesion in food systems arise from a combination of material properties, process conditions and surface interactions. At the molecular level, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces and capillary bridges govern the attraction between food particles or films and contacting surfaces. Rheological properties such as viscosity and viscoelasticity determine the response of semi-solid or liquid foods to deformation and detachment, while thermal transitions—most notably the glass transition—define a critical temperature range in which amorphous sugars or biopolymers become tacky. In powder processing, moisture uptake can generate liquid bridges that increase cohesion between particles and adhesion to equipment walls, often leading to blockages or yield loss. In confectionery and bakery products, crystallisation, Maillard reactions and protein cross-linking create complex microstructures whose stickiness evolves during cooking and storage. Understanding these mechanisms is central to optimising spray-drying efficiency, preventing unwanted wall deposition, controlling the texture of gels and emulsions, and ensuring consistent product performance in global manufacturing and consumer applications.
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Stickiness and Adhesion Mechanisms in Food Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in stickiness and adhesion mechanisms in food systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Glass transition temperature (Tg): The temperature at which amorphous food components shift from a rigid, glassy state to a soft, rubbery state, often marking the onset of stickiness.
Sticky point temperature (Ts): The temperature at which an amorphous or semi-crystalline food surface begins to adhere significantly to other surfaces under defined conditions.
Tack test: An instrumental method in which a probe contacts and then withdraws from a food sample to measure the force required for detachment, used to quantify apparent stickiness.
Cohesive forces: Attractive interactions between particles or within a food matrix that lead to agglomeration or internal sticking.
Adhesive forces: Attractive interactions between a food surface and a distinct solid boundary, such as equipment walls or packaging materials.
References
- Driving Spray Drying towards Better Yield: Tackling a Problem That Sticks Around. Pharmaceutics (2023).
- Artifacts and errors in the measurement of the stickiness of liquid foods with tack tests. Journal of Texture Studies (2021).
- Factors Influencing Food Powder Flowability. Powders (2024).
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