Viscoelastic Behavior and Sensory Evaluation of Thickening Sol-Style Foods Prepared with the Use of Thickening Agents Made of Mixed Starch-Guar Gum

Consistent thickening sol-style food samples having hardness equivalent to salad oil and plain yoghurt, respectively, were prepared with the use of thickening agents made of mixing starch and guar gum in various composition ratios. The correlation between the viscoelastic behavior of these samples and such sensory values as "ease of swallowing" was studied. An effective way of assessing the "in-mouth sensation" and "ease of swallowing" of these consistent sol-style food samples was to examine the tan δ of the dynamic viscoelasticity of the sample in the linear region, as well as the distortion dependence and, in particular, to study the torque and attenuation status of G' in the non-linear region. The "ease of swallowing" of the samples can be estimated to a certain extent from the G' and tan δ on the low frequency side.