A Generalized Phenomenological Rheological Model for Fish Flesh

The mechanical properties of raw and cooked fish were qualitatively characterized by a generalized Maxwell model in which each of the Maxwell elements is modified by incorporation of a contact and two fracture elements. The activation and inactivation of elements have been used as a means of expressing transformation of the rheological characteristics, not only as a function of the strain and strain rate history but also as a function of temperature and time. Although no attempt has been made to quantify the number of elements and their characteristic constants, it is shown that the different modes of rheological behavior exhibited by fish flesh can consistently be described by this kind of model.