Rheological properties of Babolsar sugarcane syrup

Abstract

Investigating the physicochemical and rheological properties of sugar syrups is important in specifying their usage in the food and beverage industries. In this study, some of the physicochemical properties of sugarcane syrup (72 °Brix at 25 ℃), including specific gravity, ash content, sugar content, soluble solids content, acidity, and pH were determined. Results showed the following average values: 4.266 for specific gravity, 1.4% for ash content, 57.25 (g/100 g) for sugar content, 77.8 (g/100g) for soluble solids content, 0.32% (Glycolic acid) for acidity, and 4.88 for pH. The rheological properties of sugarcane syrup were also measured using a rotational viscometer at three temperature levels (25, 45, and 65 ℃) and concentrations of 35, 55, and 72 °Brix. The power-law model describes well the rheological behavior of sugarcane syrup. According to the results based on Mitchka method, sugarcane syrup is a non-Newtonian, shear-thickening (Dilatants) fluid. The consistency coefficient (k) varied between 2075.58 and 194852.86 Pa sn. Furthermore, the dependence of the consistency coefficient on temperature was evaluated by the Arrhenius equation, and the activation energy was found between 23695.75 to 42402.93 KJ/mol. Finally, the relationship between the consistency coefficient and concentration was evaluated using the exponential model (R2 = 0.9925).

Keywords

• sugarcane syrup
• rheological properties
• power-law model
• mitchka method
• activation energy