Dynamics of changes in viscoelastic properties of a tofu during frying

The viscoelastic properties of a tofu were characterized using the stress relaxation test after deep-fat frying at 147-172 degrees C for 0 to 5 minutes. The results were expressed with a model with two Maxwell elements and a residual spring in parallel. Each elastic modulus and relaxation time followed zero order reaction kinetics. The Arrhenius temperature dependency was applied for the modeling of reaction rate constant, k. The activation energies for the viscoelastic properties were 1.00 x 10(5) - 1.49 X 10(5) J/mol. There was a good agreement between the measured and computed data (R-2 = 0.976 - 0.988).