Quality & Sensory
Syneresis
The spontaneous expulsion of liquid from a gel as its network contracts.
Real-life application
The watery liquid that separates on top of curd, paneer or an old jar of jam — a texture defect food manufacturers try to prevent.
Related terms
Retrogradation
Food ChemistryThe re-association of gelatinised starch chains, mainly amylose, into an ordered crystalline structure during cooling and storage, expelling water (syneresis).
Pectin
Food ChemistryA structural polysaccharide of plant cell walls based on galacturonic acid. High-methoxyl pectin (DE > 50%) gels with sugar and acid; low-methoxyl pectin gels with calcium.
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