RHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF POMEGRANATE (PUNICA GRANATUM L.) JUICE AND CONCENTRATE

The rheological behavior of pomegranate juice (Punica granatum L.), prepared from fresh pomegranates, was studied as a function of solids concentration in the range 17.5–75°Brix at 10–55C, using a controlled stress rheometer. Concentration methods did not influence flow behavior. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) between viscosity and activation energy values for the pomegranate juices concentrated by different methods. The juices exhibited Newtonian behavior regardless of the concentration method. The effect of temperature was described by an Arrhenius‐type equation with an activation energy in the range 5.34–32.2 kJ/mol depending on concentration. An exponential model described better the effect of the soluble solids on the viscosity and E_avalues. A simple equation was proposed for describing the combined effect of temperature and soluble solids content on the juice viscosity.