Professor Dr Abd Karim Alias

Universiti Sains Malaysia

1  
 What is…err…Rheology?

• We encounter rheology in our daily

life!
• We eat breakfast, perhaps using a
range of spreads for toast, or perhaps
we eat yoghurt with pieces of fruit
suspended in it.
• We all have squeezed toothpaste
tubes, kneaded bread dough or tried
to rub skin lotion on our leg.
• Rheology is simply one way of
describing those sensations!!
2  
 What is…err…Rheology?

• In particular, rheology science

addresses fluid and structural
properties of raw materials,
intermediate products, ingredients,
and final products of the food and
pharmaceutical industries
• Consumers use subjective tests to
ascertain the perceived texture of a
product. Rheology is usefully used to
objectify these perceptions
3  
 Rheology in Daily Life

We normally take for granted a lot of things in life

and these include some of the “rheological
events”. The pictures show the different roles of
rheology in food and nonfood products. Can you
think of other examples? 4  
 Rheology in Action

How do you like the sauce to flow? Liquid food

products should be formulated to display desired
rheological behaviour, e.g., easy to pour from the
bottle, but flow in controlled manner and recover
the viscosity upon pouring on the plate.
5  
 More Rheology in Action

Rheology principles are operating in these

pictures. Rheology aims at measuring those
properties of materials that control their
deformation and flow behaviour when subjected
to external forces (pouring, sucking, scooping,
etc.).
6  
 Rheology “inaction”

Liquid products are formulated in such a manner

to exhibit “desirable” flow property, or viscosity.
What happens when the products are not
correctly formulated “rheologically”?

7  
 Rheologically “Pleasant”

Consumers are informed, for instance, that

products are ‘thick and creamy’ as well as
‘new and improved’, because such
rheological properties are more pleasing to the
eye and mouth. 8  
 Rheologically “Balanced”

This product is a jelly drink – it is formulated in

such a manner that it can be sucked through
a straw. Notice how the gel/fruit beads are
suspended nicely in the “liquid” jelly.
9  
But…Do I Really Need to Learn Rheology?

YES!
•  For food technologists, knowledge of
rheology is important for a better
understanding of how process variables
influence specific textural characteristics,
such as pourability and mouthfeel
•  Rheological measurements can aid in
the understanding of how the viscosity
and elasticity of foods are influenced by
changes in composition, processing, and
storage parameters
10  
But…Do I Really Need to Learn Rheology?

•  Mathematical modeling of rheological

behavior permits prediction of material
performance during exposure to certain
processing or experimental conditions. It
is particularly important in food
production where most foods are forced
to “flow” through processing line.
•  Rheological measurements can provide
a rapid determination of product quality
and may serve as a tool for quality
control
11  
But…Do I Really Need to Learn Rheology?

• Rheological data should assist food

technologists and plant engineers
to design more efficient and cost-
effective processes (so it is essential
that they speak the same
language…rheology…that is)

Now…let’s define “rheology”

12  
Definition of Rheology

• “Rheology” comes from Greek rheos,

meaning ‘to flow’
• The Greek philosopher Heraclitus
described rheology as panta rei —
everything flows (if you wait long
enough!)
• Rheology aims at measuring those
properties of materials that control their
deformation and flow behaviour when
subjected to external forces
13  
Definition of Rheology

• The subject of rheology is

concerned with the study of
deformation and flow of matter
• When subjected to external
forces, solids (or truly elastic
materials) will deform, whereas
liquids (or truly viscous materials)
will flow.

14  
Definition of Rheology

• Contemporary rheology is more

interested in the behaviour of real
materials with properties
intermediate between those of ideal
solids and ideal liquids. These
industrially important materials are
called viscoelastic materials, which
include almost all real materials

15