Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Some Selected Foods

Knowledge about the thermal, rheological properties, mechanical properties, textural characteristics and physical properties of food materials have an important role from the stand point of engineering during processing of such materials. So, study of thermal and rheological properties, including determination of rheological and thermal parameters, is very important and the rheological parameters are very essential in designing the required equipments for handling and processing of the food materials. Also viscosity is usually considered an important physical property related to the quality of food products. Viscometric data are also essential for the design evaluation of food processing equipment such as pumps, piping, heat exchangers, evaporators, sterilizes filters and mixtures. Information on the mechanical properties of fruits and vegetables is of use in characterisation of material, fixing optimum time for harvest, separation from undesirable materials, texture and quality evaluation, assessment of the extent and nature of damage in collection, handling, and storage and processing, and identification of basic anatomical structure.