Richard W. Hartel

Richard W. Hartel

Professor, Food Engineering
A13 Babcock Hall
rwhartel@wisc.edu
(608) 263-1965
FAX (608) 262-6872

Research Interests

Primary area encompasses food engineering with particular emphasis on crystalline structure of foods. Crystallization in foods plays an important role in determining textural and physical properties of many food products. Understanding these phase transitions is critical to proper design, development and control of many food processes. In particular, Dr. Hartel's research group studies crystallization of ice (freeze concentration, recrystallization in frozen desserts), sugars (refining, confectionery applications) and lipids (milk fat fractionation, mixed lipid crystallization in chocolates and confections). This work involves fundamental understanding of the physical chemistry of these phase transitions, kinetics and applications of this understanding to real products.

Some recent projects include:

  1. studying sugar crystallization during drying of thin films as pertinent to manufacture of sugar shells on food products (candies, cereals),
  2. studying the phase behavior and crystallization kinetics of mixed lipids for optimizing milk fat or milk fat fraction incorporation into chocolates and palm kernel oil based compound coatings,
  3. kinetics and mechanisms of ice recrystallization during storage of ice cream.

Education:

  • B.A. Physics State University College of NY at Potsdam 1972
  • M.S. Agric. Engineering Colorado State University 1976
  • Ph.D. Agric. Engineering Colorado State University 1980

Selected Publications

Herrera, M.L., M. de Leon Gatti and R.W. Hartel. 1999. A kinetic analysis of crystallization of a milk fat model system. Food Research International 32:289-298.

Ben-Yoseph, E. and R.W. Hartel. 1999. Computer simulation of ice recrystallization in ice cream during storage. J. Food Eng. 38(3):309-331.

Marangoni, A.G. and R.W. Hartel. 1998. Visualization and structural analysis of fat crystal networks. Food Technol. 52(9):46-51.

Bricknell, J. and R.W. Hartel. 1998. Relation of fat bloom in chocolate to polymorphic transition of cocoa butter. J. Amer. Oil Chem. Soc. 75(11):1609-1616.

Gabarra, P. and R.W. Hartel. 1998. Corn syrup solids and their saccharide fractions affect crystallization of amorphous sucrose. J. Food Sci. 63(3):523-528.