EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON VISCOELASTIC PROPERTIES AND ACTIVATION-ENERGIES OF WHEY-PROTEIN GELS

The creep behavior of gels prepared with 10‐15% whey protein was measured at 15‐75°C. Gels prepared with 12‐15% protein were thermorheologically simple, although their action was not totally consistent with Williams‐Landel‐Ferry (WLF) criteria. Gels made with less than 11% protein were more sensitive to temperature than those containing more than 11% protein and their thermal viscoelastic action was not consistent with polymer theory. The apparent activation energy (ΔHa) of the gels decreased with increasing temperatures and noncovalent forces were important in maintaining gel structures. Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved