Chapter 12 - Some recent advances in food rheology

Abstract

This chapter discusses some recent advances in food rheology. The American Society of Rheology was founded in 1929, and the term “Rheology” was adopted to mean the science of flow and deformation of matter. During the early formative years of the Society of Rheology, much of the growth in the area of rheology came from work on foods. A basic knowledge of rheology is now considered essential for scientists employed in many diverse industries, as it relates laboratory measurements to product performance. Most industries that manufacture and/or use material substances need rheological information for characterizing, processing, and modifying their products. Accurate measurements that are easy to perform are the requirement in today's busy industrial laboratories and demands sensitive, state-of-the-art rheometers designed to study food material properties. The torque transducer needs to be changed when going from low shear to high shear rate viscometric tests, making measurements cumbersome. Many rheometers are not designed to cover low shear rate viscosity measurements, which provide valuable information for non-Newtonian fluids. A new generation of food-specific rheometers and established test protocols for food material properties will ease the application of fundamental mechanical properties in the industry and should help to bring major advances in the area of food materials science. The challenges to the food companies will be to supply the consumer desired quality in the food products quickly and efficiently. A material science approach is gaining momentum and the companies