ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the assessment of rheological properties of solid food using a mechanical testing device called a texture analyzer. The most common tests for assessing viscoelastic properties are approached as the stress–relaxation test and creep–recovery tests, giving the methodology and suggestions to interpret the mathematical models regarding food structure. In addition, mechanical tests to determine some textural properties are also described such as compression, puncture and tensile tests, with the methodology presented and some examples of applications provided.
