Effect of temperature and pH on viscosity of pineapple gum

Research on gum derived from local fruits is actively being carried out for food industrial applications. However, limited study has been conducted to look at the processing parameters on the properties and quality of the gum. This study was conducted to assess the effect of temperature and pH on viscosity of pineapple gum solution. A 1% pineapple gum solution was prepared and the viscosity was measured at different temperatures (10, 30, 40, 50 and 70 °C) and pH (2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10). Viscosity of 1% pineapple gum solution was found to be 8.80 CPs at room temperature. Increase of temperature from 10 – 70 °C resulted in decreasing viscosity up to 56%. The pH value of 1% pineapple gum solution at room temperature was 6.76. The highest pineapple gum viscosity was observed at pH 10 with value of 6.00 CPs. It was found that the viscosity of pineapple gum significantly decreased at more acidic condition. Generally, pineapple gum solution was fairly stable over a wide range of pH between 2 and 10 and revealed that the gum can be incorporated in various food products within the pH range