Influence of the Fluidity of Water within a Hydrogel Model on Its Physical Parameters

Abstract

Various physical parameters of a hydrogel model were determined, in order to investigate the influence of the fluidity of water within food hydrogels on their elasticity. As the hydrogel model, a perforated tennis ball filled with various concentrations of polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG) was used. Upon raising the PEG concentration, the elastic modulus and viscosity of the model obtained by forcedeformation measurements were increased. The instantaneous elastic modulus and viscosity obtained by stress-relaxation and the creep measurements were increased. From these results, the viscoelasticity of the food hydrogels is presumed to have been influence by the fluidity of water within the gels.