Rheology of Food Gum

Abstract

This introductory chapter provides an overview of three main rheological properties of food gums including dilute solution, steady shear, and viscoelastic rheological properties. Examples of a number of different food gums are given, and a brief introduction to the rheological properties of them at three mentioned rheological aspects is provided. Different circumstances such as temperature, concentration, presence of ions and sugars, which affect the rheological behavior of food gums, are summarized. Dilute regime properties determine the molecular role of gums in food products. Steady shear rheological properties of food gum manifest useful data to evaluate the flow behavior, quality control, and processing/storage stability of food products consisting food gums. Dynamic rheological characteristics of food gums illustrate the viscoelasticity, stability, and textural features of final formulated foods. To sum up, the results showed that various food gums, with variety of structure and nature at different situations, exhibit different rheological behavior.