Mechanical and Rheological Response of Vegetable Shortening

The textbook "Mechanical and Rheological Response of Vegetable Shortening" by Joamin Gonzalez-Gutierrez provides a comprehensive analysis of the rheological behavior of vegetable fat. It examines the complex properties that exhibit both solid and liquid characteristics. Through various mechanical tests, including monotonic and cyclic compression as well as creep and stress relaxation tests, fundamental parameters are determined that describe the rheological response of vegetable fat. These parameters are used in two mechanical models, the viscoelastic and the elasto-visco-plastic model, to predict the response to compression and cone penetration. The accuracy of these models is analyzed using Abaqus software, revealing that the viscoelastic model is not suitable for prediction, while the elasto-visco-plastic model offers reasonable accuracy. This book is aimed at professionals and students in the fields of engineering and IT who seek a deeper understanding of the rheological properties of food.