The pre-shearing effect on the rheological properties of okra mucilage

Abstract

We investigated the effect of pre-shearing on the rheological properties of mucilage extracted from okra pods. Okra mucilage was extracted by using a cold water extraction protocol. The rheological properties were surveyed utilizing steady shear, oscillatory, time-dependent ramp measurements. Our findings reveal that the pre-shearing effect induced a drop in the viscosity of okra mucilage at high shear rates ranging between 100s−1 and 1,000s−1. In addition, the pre-shearing effect could partially reduce the elastic modulus of okra mucilage. In contrast, the viscous modulus part was found to be increased at the same time. Consequently, pre-shearing may affect the viscoelastic elements of okra mucilage, due to irreversible changes induced in the macro-structures of the okra mucilage. When the shearing deformation rate reached a limit, the large-sized hydrocolloid random coil group degraded into smaller crops. Therefore, addition of shear force could change the interior elastic energy consumption of the okra mucilage. Our findings may influence the preparation strategies of the okra polysaccharide process.