Chinese quince seed gum: Flow behaviour, thixotropy and viscoelasticity

Characterization of the rheological properties of Chinese quince seed gum (CQSG) is fundamental when using it in food production. In the present paper, the chemical compositions and the rheological properties of CQSG at different concentrations, types of salts, temperatures and pH values were characterized by using shear or dynamic rheological experiments. The results demonstrated that uronic acid content of CQSG (31.7%) was high and different concentration CQSG solutions presented Newtonian plateaus followed by shear thinning regions. The viscosities of the gum solutions decreased with the addition of any salt, with increase in temperature and at extreme pH values (3 and 11). The stress and frequency sweep tests demonstrated a unique result in that the crossover frequency shifted to a higher value when the CQSG solution concentration increased. It is the basis for CQSG product development and quality control for its potential applications.