MECHANICAL PROPERTIES of A RASPBERRY PRODUCT TEXTURIZED WITH ALGINATE

Calcium alginate gels (1% algin) with and without agar (1%) as a presetting agent were used to form the matrix for a texturized raspberry product containing 2–8% raspberry pulp. the addition of the pulp resulted in a mechanically weaker product as compared to the pure gels, and the loss of strength increased with the pulp concentration. the agar did not have an appreciable effect on the product's strength but it made them, comparatively, more brittle and stiffer. Although full equilibration of the gels and products took about 48 h or more, all their main mechanical features could be determined in tests performed after 24 h only.