THE EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON THE RHEOLOGY OF BUTTER, A SPREADABLE BLEND AND SPREADS

The texture of lipid-based food materials is an important topic for investigation. In this study, the rheological properties of five edible fats were determined. A puncture test was performed to investigate the rheological properties of the food materials at 5C and at 19C using a texture analyzer. The force-displacement measurements were converted to stress–strain by assuming incompressibility of edible fat food materials in a linear viscoelastic region (LVR). Young's modulus of each edible fat was calculated using stress–stain curves in a LVR. Shear elastic moduli of edible fats in a LVR were obtained using a rheometer. Further to that the effect of temperature on storage modulus and loss modulus and creep test were obtained using a rheometer. The tests showed good correlation between Young's modulus and shear elastic modulus for each material. The mechanical properties correlated well with the structural properties of each of the materials.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The texture of butter, blends and spreads is determined by temperature, rheological properties, processing conditions and the composition of the material. Our research investigated the effect of temperature on the rheological properties of these foods. The results may be used to model the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties of the fat crystal network.