Abstract
UNLABELLED Shear and extensional deformation are two basic rheological phenomena which occur commonly in our daily life. Because of the very different nature of the two deformations, fluid materials may exhibit significant differences in their responses to shear and extensional forces. This work investigated the human perception of shear and extensional viscosity and tested the hypothesis that human have different discriminatory sensation mechanisms including scaling to the two deformations. A series of fluid samples were prepared using two common food thickeners, guar gum and sodium carboxylmethylcellulose (CMC-Na). The shear and extensional flow behavior of these fluids were assessed using shear and extensional rheometers and in addition two separate sensory analysis sessions were organized to assess human sensitivity in perceiving the two viscosities. Magnitude estimation was used in the first session to assess human sensitivity in the perception of the shear and extensional viscosities and just-noticeable-difference (JND) assessment was used for the second session to identify the typical threshold of viscosity discrimination. For the participants considered, it was found that the perception of both shear and extensional viscosity follow a power law relationship i.e. Steven's law. It was also observed that the human has a greater discriminatory capacity in perceiving extensional viscosity. JND analysis showed that the human threshold in detecting shear viscosity difference was 9.33%, but only 6.20% for extensional viscosity. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Shear and extensional deformation are two basic rheological properties which occur during food manipulation, mastication, deglutition executed during oral consumption and also in the processing and packaging of foods. Fluid resistance against shear and extensional deformation differ widely and whilst this has been confirmed theoretically and experimentally, a clear understanding of human perception of these properties will have beneficial returns to the food industry in designing and manufacturing of high quality, nutritious food to suit consumers' need (Laguna, Aktar, Ettelaie, Holmes, & Chen, 2016).
