Rheological characterization of fenugreek paste (çemen)

Çemen (fenugreek paste) is a local food in Turkey, which is produced from ground fenugreek seeds. Çemen is used as an edible coating material in the production of the traditional meat product, pastırma. The flow behavior and time-dependent flow properties of çemen in the temperature range of 10-30 °C have been studied. Çemen exhibited non-Newtonian behavior. Three models were used to predict the flow behavior of çemen, namely, the power law, Herschel-Bulkley, and Casson models. The power law model adequately described well the flow behavior of the çemen at different temperatures. The consistency coefficient, m, increased with the temperature both in the forward and backward measurements. Çemen exhibited rheopectic behavior that increased viscosity with increasing the shear speed and the temperature.