Alteration of the structural properties of inulin gels

Abstract In this work, inulin particle gels, prepared with a type of long chain inulin, were examined in terms of their structural properties and mechanical response, depending on the applied shear rates and temperature during gel preparation. The results are interpreted on the basis of a particle gel model, which takes into account the varying gel structure, depending on the sample preparation parameters. X-ray measurements of the inulin powder, used for the experiments, revealed a mostly amorphous powder. The temperature profiles for the sample preparation, chosen from 25 °C to 60 °C with constant stirring at 600 rpm, yielded viscoelastic particle gels with decreasing hardness. By applica…