2.5. Laser Diffraction
Samples were thawed at 4 °C. Particles >2000 µm and <20 µm were removed by mechanical sieving prior to analysis to avoid interference with the laser diffraction instrument as described previously [Laser diffraction was performed on a Mastersizer 2000 instrument fitted with a Hydro 2000 G dispersant unit (Malvern Panalytical Ltd., Malvern, UK). The settings on the MasterSizer were as follows: pump speed, 700; stirrer speed, 1175; ultrasound, 70 [For PSD analysed by laser diffraction, mean PSD at each particle size interval was calculated from individual aliquots. The proportion of the sample in each particle size interval was expressed as a percentage of the total sample volume (% volume).