Ultrasound Characterisation of the Rheology of Crystallising Anhydrous Milk Fat

Relationships between acoustical parameters and rheological ones permit the non-invasive determination of the elastic moduli in crystallising anhydrous milk fat during cooling between 43 °C and 17 °C. Whilst the real (elastic) moduli are dominated by the bulk modulus with a small contribution from the real shear modulus, the imaginary parts of the moduli (relating to viscosity) have significant contributions from both bulk and shear viscosities. Ultrasound techniques significantly expand the application of rheological techniques, they can be implemented in a non-invasive manner into a process, and therefore augment and enhance conventional rheology