Using the Mitschka-Briggs-Steffe method for evaluation of cactus pear concentrated pulps rheological behavior

Abstract

The rheological characterization of food is important for efficient product and process design. Although its importance in semi-arid regions, there are only a few studies regarding the rheological properties of cactus pear products in the literature. The present work has used the Mitschka-Briggs- Steffe method for evaluation of the rheological behavior of cactus pear concentrated pulps. The pulps have shown pseudoplastic behavior. The flow behavior index (n) shows a constant value in the evaluated conditions, and its average value was considered in the evaluated temperature and concentration range. The consistency index (k) has shown dependency of concentration and temperature, being well modeled by a modified Arrhenius equation. Thus, the rheological parameters of cactus pear concentrated pulps can be obtained using a single equation, related with temperature, concentration and shear rate. The obtained data are potentially useful for future studies on product development, food properties and process design.