Rheological characterization of fenugreek paste (cemen)

Cemen (fenugreek paste) is a local food in Turkey, which is produced from ground fenugreek seeds. Cemen is used as an edible coating material in the production of the traditional meat product, pastirma. The flow behavior and time-dependent flow properties of semen in the temperature range of 10-30 degrees C have been studied. Cemen exhibited non-Newtonian behavior. Three models were used to predict the flow behavior of cemen, namely, the power law, Herschel-Bulkley, and Casson models. The power law model adequately described well the flow behavior of the semen at different temperatures. The consistency coefficient, m, increased with the temperature both in the forward and backward measurements. Cemen exhibited rheopectic behavior that increased viscosity with increasing the shear speed and the temperature. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.