Textural and Rheological Experiments

The following documentation records the ideas and experiments around isomalt glass as the object to realize different rheological phases. The provision of isomalt glass and the use of facilities were kindly granted by Professor Christy Spackman and the Kitchen Lab, Arizona State University.

Went through experiments on:

1

Key Temperatures

It was observed that the phase transitions were visible at 20-23 and 50-55 (in degrees celcius). Humidity levels were maintained at 95%, temperature of the room at 68F.

2

Rheological Aesthetics

**For future purposes, I also tried to laser cut the isomalt glass sheet; one can see the overly stretched texture of isomalt glass when separated from the cut. It was fun to see the scorched surface as the laser cuts through; it worked best at medium air pressure, with the speed at 2%, power at 85%, PPI 1000. However, we noticed a problem of the vaporized sugar sticking onto the cutter's lens. Engraving, however, worked significantly better.

3

Prepping the Isomalt Glass

I then went through different trials of making the isomalt glass, in forms of small bulbs that can be easily used for heating and forming later on. A lot of the clues and concepts are drawn from: Hartel, R. W., von Elbe, J. H., Hofberger, R. (2017). Confectionery Science and Technology. Germany: Springer International Publishing.