Characterizing rheological properties of newtonian and non-newtonian fluid food products with a statistical method

Abstract

A tank-tube viscometer and its novel Newtonian and non-Newtonian viscosity equations were developed to determine flow characteristics of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid food products. Rheological behaviors of 60 w% sucrose aqueous solution as a reference/calibration fluid solution for the tank-tube viscometer were characterized with the novel viscosity equations of the tank-tube viscometer. Several series of experimental data of amounts of 60-w% sucrose aqueous solution drained from the reservoir at various drain durations were applied to the non-Newtonian viscosity equation to calibrate the tank-tube viscometer, and then the same experimental data were applied to the Newtonian viscosity equation to obtain dynamic viscosity values of the solution with the linear least squares method. Dynamic viscosity values of 60 w% sucrose aqueous solution, determined with the calibrated tank-tube viscometer and its Newtonian viscosity equation, were compared with the literature values. The objectives of this presentation are for our students to be familiar with statistical analysis of experimental data, to understand relative accuracies of experimental data with correlation coefficients obtained from statistical analysis of experimental data, to be able to recognize and omit some bad experimental data deviated noticeably from the rest of experimental data set, and to identify possible experimental error sources.