Influence of Temperature of Measurement on Creep Phenomena in Glycinin Gels

Gels made from heated soybean glycinin were analyzed by creep measurements at various temperatures (10–90°C). The creep curves obtained upon compression were simulated by a five component model which included an elastic, a viscous, a plastic, and two viscoelastic components. The contribution of the plastic component to gel softness decreased with increasing temperature, while the contribution of the elastic component concurrently increased. The existence of the plastic components suggested that glycinin gels consist of a network of associated molecules and that compression irreversibly changed the packing arrangement of the glycinin particles. The decrease in contribution of the plastic components at high temperatures indicated that the network structure is stabilized by hydrophobic interactions.