ARS | Publication request: Constitutive Analysis of Beta-Glucan/amylodextrin Blends

Submitted to: Annual Meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 27, 2001
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Accurate constitutive equations are required for the understanding of many food processes. Although many models have been developed for synthetic polymers, their applicability to food and biopolymer systems has not been established. The purpose of this work was to test the ability of constitutive equations to model the rheological behavior of beta-glucan/amylodextrin blends in a range of flows. The effects of the blend composition and concentration were studied in small-amplitude oscillatory shear, steady-state shear, transient shear and stress relaxation experiments. The K-BKZ, Giesekus, Phan-Thien Tanner and Bird-Carreau models could all fit the steady shear flow data, but only the K-BKZ and Giesekus models yielded accurate results in transient flows. These results are interpreted in terms of the underlying assumptions of the models. The results indicate the need to test thoroughly constitutive equations before using them to model food processes.