Viscoelastic characterization of rice gel

Rice flour dispersions with 15-25% solids were subjected to microwave heating for 0-75 s and samples were subjected to oscillatory frequency sweep between 0.01-10 Hz. The initial rapid increase in storage modulus (G) with frequency decreased to a plateau at higher frequencies. An increase in G' and complex viscosity (eta*) with an increase in the time of treatment or concentration of solid indicate the extent of sol-gel transformation. The sensory data on hardness, elasticity and stickiness also followed similar trend. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the sensory results indicate that a minimum treatment time of 45 s is needed to achieve a rice gel with acceptable sensory characteristics. ne G' values were modeled (0.936 less than or equal to r less than or equal to 0.988, P less than or equal to 0.01) by the 4-element spring-dashpot model.