Effects of the addition of sucrose and cellulose on the compression behaviour of x-carrageenan gels

Influence of the concentration of sucrose and cellulose pulp on the compression behaviour of x-carrageenan-based gels is studied. Composition of samples was established by using a second-order central composite design. Carrageenan concentrations used were between 0.5 and 1.25%, sucrose concentrations between 0 and 30% and cellulose fibre contents between 0 and 0.5%. Uniaxial compression behaviour was analysed by evaluating two parameters: maximum rupture strength (F(max)) and apparent Young's modulus (E(ap)). Results obtained showed that addition of sucrose increased both F(max) and E(ap) values while the effect of cellulose depended on the concentration of the other components.