ABSTRACT
Much has been written on this daunting subject, and various methods have been employed in presenting the fundamentals of rheology to audiences and students, where practitioners tend to approach the subject from a technical, mathematical basis. This chapter will deal with rheology from a practical standpoint and offer the reader a guided tour through rheology’s use in real food application systems; by rst taking a look at the basic theory and following with case studies. While always remembering and accounting for necessary scientic rigor, within food science it is not always possible to wait for steady state or to ensure that the sample is “clean” ahead of measurement. Active food rheology tolerates these vagaries and therefore represents a useful innovation driver within research and development. Indeed, the role of the application rheologist is to create value by transforming data into understanding and by being aware of the tenet that for many industries, “rheology is not a key business, but is key to the business” (Young, 2011).
