Effect of Thermal Processing on Structure and Rheological Properties of Carrageenan/Carob Gum Gels

Optical rotatory dispersion and rheological studies have been used to investigate changes in carrageenan and carob gels on thermal processing. A synergistic effect was observed on the gel strength of both unprocessed and heat processed carrageenan carob gels when compared to gels without carob, although a lower gel strength was measured after processing. The reduction in strength of gels on heat processing appears to be due mainly to the depolymerisation of the network chains while the crosslinks of the gel are largely unaffected.