Abstract: Plastic fats are structured as colloidal gels structured as a network of polycrystalline triacylglycerol particles in liquid oil. The polycrystalline particles are aggregates of crystalline nanoplatelets. Here we review the fractal structural-mechanical model of fat structure and show simulations relating the yield stress and elastic modulus of fats to their structure, namely crystal size, spatial distribution off mass, total amount of crystalline mass and the strength of interactions between crystals. We also explored the effects of cooling rate and shear rate on the structural components and the yield stress of fats. All of this was done in the context of Haighton’s work showing that the yield stress of a fat was a powerful indicator of its functionality since it combined factors related to the total amount of crystalline mass present, as well as structure and strength of interactions. In 1959, Haighton determined exact values of the yield stress that corresponded with optimal functionality of a fat product in diverse applications. We could calculate these using our model, thus opening up the possibility of designing and optimizing fat macroscopic functionality from knowledge of material structural characteristics.
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