Can YOU guess what foods these are? Stunning microscopic images reveal the beauty hidden in everyday drinks and snacks
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Cooking is said to be as much an art as it is a science, with simple ingredients creating culinary beauty when mixed together.
But these photographs reveal the impressive patterns that salt, sugar, coffee beans, tea and ice cream possess on their own when placed under the microscope.
As well as being visually stunning, images such as these could one day help scientists create superfoods that taste better and last longer.
Fat and peptide crystals pictured. Crystals form when fats are cooled from a high temperature to below melting point. Nestle has major plans when it comes to creating processed foods. The firm is already working on is developing a 'food replicator' that its bosses describe as 'the next microwave'
Created by Nestle, the series explores the hidden face of the food we consume, and attempts to convey the science behind making better products.
An image of the foam boosters, for instance, shows how packet-made cappuccinos are particles of carbohydrates and protein loaded with gas bubbles.
When these particles meet hot water, they release gas, lifting the creamer to the surface to form an instant, milky layer of foam.
These photographs reveal the impressive patterns in salt, sugar, coffee beans, tea and ice cream, as seen under the microscope. Pictured are particles of sucralose - a non-caloric sweetener - alongside particles of roast and ground coffee
Tortoiseshell? No, something a little more sweet: Scientists use 'cryo-microscopy' to understand the effect shifts in temperature can have on the quality and stability of frozen food. This is what rapidly frozen sugar solution looks like at -100°C
Cup of green: Pictured is a close up view of a green tea leaf. Tea is rich in anti-oxidants called polyphenols, which appear as the green areas here. The darker circles are stomata - the tiny openings, or pores, that help plants control exchange of gases
Putting bubbles in your coffee: Pictured are cappuccino 'foam booster' granules. These particles of carbohydrates and protein loaded with gas bubbles. When they meet hot water, they release the gas, lifting the creamer to the surface to form an instant, milky foam
Shown here is the cell structure of roast and ground coffee. As well as being visually stunning, images such as these could some day help scientists create 'super foods' that taste better and last longer
A frozen sugar solution seen close-up at -100°C shows a hypnotic pattern of particles, used to understand the effect shifts in temperature can have on the quality of foods.
Another image of the inside of a green coffee bean reveals the importance of roasting. This process changes the internal structure of the bean and impacts its overall taste.
Scientists often use images such as these to change something known as 'extrusion' or the processing technique that helps to give certain foods specific textures or shapes.
By examining the structure of extruded food products, such as the breakfast cereal, they can find ways to improve their texture.
And Nestle has major plans when it comes to creating processed foods. The firm is already working on is developing a 'food replicator' that its bosses describe as 'the next microwave'.
It will deliver meals personalised for each user, with exactly the right balance of nutrients they need for a healthy diet.
Codenamed 'Iron Man', the project will eventually lead to a kitchen machine that can create tailored supplements and food.
'Iron Man is an analysis of what's missing in our diets, and a product, tailored to you, to help make up that difference,' NIHS director Ed Baetge told Bloomberg.
'In the past, food was just food. We're going in a new direction.'
Extrusion is a processing technique that helps to give certain foods specific textures or shapes. By examining the structure of extruded food products - like this breakfast cereal - we can find ways to improve their texture
Get your ice cream in the freezer! Crystals that form in ice cream (pictured) can create an unpleasant texture. Nestle uses microscopy to find out which ice cream recipes, processing techniques, and storage conditions make crystals more likely to form
Boulders? This image of freeze-dried coffee revealing its 'micro gas' cells and cavities. When the cavities come into contact with hot water, they create 'crema', a naturally formed foam of coffee and air
Miniature skyscrapers: Here salt crystals are seen growing on the surface of powder. The crystals appear when powders containing 'dissociated' salt - which has had its molecules broken down into smaller particles - are stored above a certain humidity
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