Physical and chemical properties of caramel systems

Molecular and mechanical relaxation properties of caramel systems as a func tion of temperature and composition were investigated using nuclear magneti c resonance (NMR) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Corn syrup, the ma jor carbohydrate in the original recipe, was replaced by polydextrose to di fferent extents. The glass transition temperature (T-g) of the caramel syst ems estimated using both the NMR and DMA techniques increased with increasi ng polydextrose content. Cold flow, one of the most important rheological c haracteristics, was retarded in the higher polydextrose caramel system, coi ncident with the decrease in proton mobility of the caramel system. (C) 199 9 Academic Press.