Visualization of an ice grain-growth process for improving a food refrigeration technique

冷冻是最流行和最有效的食品保存方法。通过结晶过程将水转化为冰是决定过程效率和冷冻产品质量的关键步骤。 因此，对结晶过程及其相关现象的控制、理解和预测，对于改进冷冻工艺是非常必要的。为了理解结晶过程，需要通过热分析来阐明晶核形成与其生长之间的关系。然而，用差示扫描量热仪很难只测量一个晶核的形成及其生长。采用微通道乳化法制备了粒径分布较窄的油包水（W/O）乳状液，对微尺寸水滴的结晶过程进行了热分析。

Freezing is the most popular and efficient methods of food preservation. The conversion of water to ice through the crystallization process is the key step determining the efficiency of the process and the quality of the frozen product. Therefore, the control, understanding and prediction of the crystallization process and related phenomena are very essential for the improvement of freezing processes . In order to understand the crystallization process, it is desirable to clarify the relation between a nucleus formation and its growth by a thermal analysis. However, it is difficult to measure only one nucleus formation and its growth by a differential scanning calorimeter. In this study, using the water in oil (W/O) emulsion with a narrow size distribution prepared by microchannnel emulsification, the thermal analysis of the crystallization process in the micro-sized water droplets was carried out.