ABSTRACT
The main function of hydrocolloids is to modify food texture when hydrated, to interact with the water, which will solubilize them, and change the properties of the water flow. Taking into consideration the difficulty to express and define words for food texture, and that there is a direct relation with the physics, the ideal would be to measure and quantify the attributes of texture of fluids (viscosity) and solids (characteristics of the gel). The term "apparent viscosity" is often used in liquids whose dynamic viscosity changes depending on the applied shear force or time during which it applies, meaning that viscosity can vary according to the conditions of measurement. Some hydrocolloids, especially the gelling agents, need specific cations to be able to form a gel, and its presence, absence or concentration influences the measurement result. The viscosity of liquids may vary depending on the shear force and time of application of the same effort.
