ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the application of rheological information in product and process development. It describes the rheological comparison between synthetic and food polymers; the utilization of basic knowledge of rheological properties to analyze the stability of materials before, during, and after processing; and the influence of rheological properties on the selection of appropriate processing methods. In addition to having high hedonic quality during consumption, any successful product in the marketplace needs to be stable throughout distribution. Directly and indirectly, rheological properties affect physical, chemical, and microbiological stabilities. Caking is a mobility-related phenomenon associated with the physical state of the continuous structural matrix on the state diagram. Understanding rheological properties of in-process intermediates can facilitate product formulation and process design for achieving optimum food quality and stability. The technique of mechanical spectroscopy is uniquely suited to the rheological characterization of a material with a dynamic temperature profile during baking.
