Nonlinear (Large-Amplitude Oscillatory Shear) Rheological Properties and Their Impact on Food Processing and Quality

Large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) testing has been increasingly used over the past several decades to provide a fuller picture of food rheological behavior. Although LAOS is relatively easy to perform on a wide variety of foods, interpretation of the resulting data can be difficult, as it may not be possible to link the results to food components, microstructural features or changes, or physicochemical properties. Several analysis methods have been developed to address this issue, but there is currently no standard method for foods. In food research, LAOS has mainly been used to investigate connections between food microstructures and rheological behaviors, although there have been some studies on connections between food LAOS behaviors and processing or sensory behaviors. LAOS has the potential to be a valuable tool for investigating food structure–function–texture relationships, but much work remains to develop these relationships, particularly in the area of connecting LAOS to sensory attributes.