The effects of the cooking conditions (heating temperature, pH value and NaCl concentration) on the gelation properties of savory cup custard (chawan mushi) were examined by dynamic viscoelasticity measurements. The gelation tmperature of the egg solution (0.6% NaCl, pH 6.45) was 77°C, and the storage modulus (G')and loss modulus(G') both increased with increasing heating temperature to 90°C. Increasing the heating ratio resulted in a higher gelation temperature and lower G'value. However, the most desirable physical properties of chawan mushi prepared by heating to a final intemal temperature of 90°C were obtained regardless of the heating ratio. The G'value increased with increasing pH from 5.2 to 7.0 and reached a constant value at above pH 7.0, and the resulting ratio of free water decreased under the alkaline pH condition. G'also increased with increasing NaCl concentration from 0.6% to 1.2%. The product with a 0.8% NaCl concentration was favored over that with a 0.6% concentration in the panel test.
