Effect of Concentration and Temperature on the Rheological Flow Behavior and Dynamic Oscillatory Properties of purified Alooche Exudate Gum

Journal article, 2026

The Rosaceae family includes numerous species such as peach, apricot, plum, cherry, and almond, which are well known for producing natural gums. Prunus cerasifera is one of the gumproducing species, and its exudate is a clear, mucilaginous liquid with a light-yellow color. In the present study, the rheological properties of raw and purified Prunus cerasifera gum were evaluated at concentrations of 4%, 6%, and 8% and at temperatures of 5°C and 85°C. Flow behavior, strain sweep, and frequency sweep tests were performed to investigate the mechanical behavior of the samples. Furthermore, FTIR spectroscopy was used to identify functional groups, along with zeta potential measurements and color analysis. The results showed that all samples exhibited pseudoplastic (shearthinning) behavior. Among the rheological models applied, the Herschel–Bulkley, Power-law, and Sisko models provided the best fit with the highest coefficients of determination (R²). Increasing the gum concentration from 4% to 8% led to an increase in both storage and loss moduli, while increasing the temperature resulted in a decrease in these moduli. FTIR findings confirmed the presence of carbohydrate-related functional groups and the characteristic fingerprint region of cherry plum gum.