Mona Sadat Behbahani - Food Colloids and RheologyGroup, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University Tehran, Iran
Soleiman Abbasi - Food Colloids and RheologyGroup, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University Tehran, Iran

Flixweed (Descurainia Sophia L.) is one of the local plants which its seeds contain quite a number of nutraceuticals. It is often used as a traditional herbal medicine over the years. In addition, in different parts of Iran the seeds of this plant are used to prepare syrup (sharbat). Despitethe medicinal and nutritious advantages of thisproduct, its precipitation is one of the common problems which restrict their commercial usage.Therefore, in this study the effect of two native gums [Persian gum (PG) and gum Tragacanth (GT)] as well as their soluble and insoluble fractions were investigated on the stabilization of Flixweed syrup (flixweed ,5 wt%; basil seeds 0.5 wt%; sucrose, 10 wt%). Moreover, the effect of trivalent ions (FeCl3, 0.0025 mol) on rheological and sensory properties was studied. The results indicated that the 0.8 wt% insoluble fraction of PG, 0.05 wt% soluble fraction of GT, 0.14wt% insoluble fraction of GT were able to stabilize Flixweed syrup. In syrup containing soluble fractions of GT, the presence of FeCl3 caused considerable increasing of viscosity. Moreover, the shearing lowered the viscosity, but the viscosity returned to initial state after resting.

Descurainia sophia L.; Sisymbriumirio;Reversible gels; Persian gum; Tragacanth; Rheological properties