ABSTRACT
Rheology is the study of the deformation of materials under stress. Rheological studies provide information concerned with the elasticity of solids or the viscosity of liquids. Food materials, being neither wholly liquids nor solids, exhibit viscoelasticity, i.e., properties intermediate between those for solids and liquids. The rheology of food materials is describable in terms of elastic deformation, viscous flow, and plastic flow.1 Rheological properties translate into everyday terms such as mouthfeel, smoothness, graininess, thickness, firmness, hardness, brittleness, crispiness, extensibility, and general handling properties.
