Theodoros Karapantsios is chemistry professor working in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki on "Hydrodynamics and heat and mass transport in multiphase flows" and "Interfacial phenomena in foams, emulsions and liquid bridges."
Doesn't look yumi? Well, think about a piece of frozen potato (ie starch and water at 0°C) that you put in a bath of oil at 180°C, and you have an applied version of the work of Prof Karapantsios. Actually, Prof Karapantsios already made the link, and published several research results on this :
- On the capacity of a crust–core model to describe potato deep-fat frying
- Surface water evaporation and energy components analysis during potato deep fat frying
- Effect of potato deep-fat frying conditions on temperature dependence of olive oil and palm oil viscosity
In his last work, just published in Food Research International, he added the the parameter "gravity". So, he (and his colleague John Lioumbas, both collaborating with the European Space Agency) designed a device to deep-fry potatoes at increased
gravity levels (i.e. 1.8, 3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 · gearth).
Result : up to 3g, fries are better and done quicker. After, the crust is not attached to the core of the fries anymore...
This research is not only relevant for astronaut wanting to eat french fries. It can be a way to make deep-fryer that work better, but it is a great insight on the convection and mass diffusion process, which bring new knowledge in "Hydrodynamics and heat and mass transport in multiphase flows" and
"Interfacial phenomena in foams, emulsions and liquid bridges."
John S. Lioumbas, Thodoris D. Karapantsios
Effect of increased gravitational acceleration in potato deep-fat frying
Food Research International, Volume 55, January 2014, Pages 110–118http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2013.10.044
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