Hartel is a professor of food science at UW–Madison. His research focuses on food engineering with emphasis on phase transitions in food.
Hartel’s project will use a Drop Shape Analyzer, a device that analyzes the interfacial properties at fat/serum and air/serum boundaries in dairy products, to greatly enhance capabilities of understanding the microstructure of various dairy products. By pulsating (rapid expansion and contraction) droplets in this tensiometer, the rheological properties of those interfaces can be measured. This will help create healthier, more wholesome versions of current dairy products and as well as help provide a pipeline of new dairy ingredients from current waste.