The application of neutron scattering methods to understand the structure and dynamics in soft-condensed matter has a long history but its utilisation for food-based materials still remains the domain of a small, albeit increasing, community. This is despite the fact that neutrons offer significant advantages over other avenues of characterisation where an understanding at the nanoscale is...
Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) is a sensitive technique for quantifying elemental concentrations in solid samples. It is a mature and well-understood method that has been in use for several decades across a range of disciplines. Today it is one of many techniques available to analysts for characterising the elemental makeup of solid samples, albeit with somewhat limited availability as a...
The Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering presently operates two neutron inelastic spectrometers well suited to quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) and low-energy neutron spectroscopy studies. In combination, the EMU and PELICAN cold-neutron spectrometers cover an energy transfer range spanning 0.001 to 14 meV. As far as QENS, the accessible time domain is thus from pico- to nano-...
Abstract:
This work presents advances in high-resolution chemical imaging capability at Australian Synchrotron Infrared (IR) beamline, achieved through the use of an in-house developed synchrotron macro ATR-FTIR microspectroscopic device [1]. The device was developed by modifying the cantilever arm of a standard macro-ATR unit to accept germanium (Ge) ATR elements with different contact...
X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) can be used for elemental and chemical microanalysis across length scales ranging from millimeter to nanometer. XFM is ideally suited to quantitatively map trace elements within whole and sectioned plants, seeds, animals and soil samples. The high elemental sensitivity of X-ray fluorescence microprobes coupled with deep penetration of hard X-rays enables...
Milk and milk products are essential to global nutrition and the world-wide food industry. We have carried out ultra-small angle neutron scattering (USANS) studies on samples of “as-is” commercial food-grade milk and samples with added rennet, as the first step in cheese formation. Casein protein micelles are present in both skim and whole milk with median diameters of 120 nm with 16%...
Milk is one of the most important commodities is the world and yet the colloidal protein structure, the casein micelle, that gives rise to many of the unique properties of milk is still not well defined due to its complex and dynamic structure. To gain a detailed picture of the structure of the casein micelle, we produced a world-first model artificial casein micelle comprising recombinant...
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) for more than ten years successfully operates first Small Angle Neutron Scattering instrument QUOKKA [1] and in January of year 2016 commenced user operation of the second SANS instrument, BILBY [2]. The inspiration for BILBY is the D33 instrument located at the Institut Laue-Langevin [3]. Similar to D33, BILBY exploits neutron...
The new neutron radiography / tomography / imaging instrument DINGO [1] is operational since October 2014 to support research at ANSTO. It is designed for a broad national and international scientific user community and for routine quality control for defense, industrial, cultural heritage and archaeology applications. With experience from materials science and archeology we would like to...
