The Viscoelastic Behavior of Heat‐Set Ovalbumin Gels Explained in Terms of a Transient‐Network Model

Abstract

The transient network model for concentrated dispersions, presented in a previous paper, is used for the interpretation of the viscoelastic behavior of heat‐set ovalbumin gels. The gels consist of a water phase and a network‐shaped phase of denatured ovalbumin molecules, which are crosslinked and entangled by sulphur bridges, hydrogen bridges, and hydrophobic bonds. The local stresses inside the dispersed phase are calculated from the local deformation and a modified Maxwell‐type constitutive equation that is used for the description of the rheological behavior of this phase. Subsequently, the macroscopic stress tensor is calculated making use of the concepts of the transient network model. Some remarkable model stress predictions are presented and interpreted. Linear viscoelastic measurements on the ovalbumin gels are used to quantify model parameters. Subsequently, the sample's behavior in simple shear and uniaxial compression experiments, including stress relaxation, are compared with model predictions. The model is thus found to satisfactorily describe the system's rheological behavior.