Already in 1987 Isaac Heertje published a method to visualise the fat crystal network in margarines. We now have revisited this method, making it available for today’s research of crystal networks in foods and beyond. The images show fat crystal networks in a 39% fat spread and in a 79% fat margarine, revealing continuous networks of crystals, often along emulsion droplets, being the structural backbone of these products.

This method enables research of fat crystal networks in products, e.g. for comparison of different networks in different products or to better understand processing variations, not only in margarines, but also in other crystal-structured products.