Understanding Forage Palm Mucilage Behavior: Harnessing Plackett-Burman Screening for Tailoring Formulation and Process

The rheological and textural behavior of gels containing forage palm mucilage (FPM) was investigated using the Plackett–Burman design and multivariate analysis. The influence of carbohydrates (xanthan gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, and sucrose), proteins (soy, egg, and whey), and salts (NaCl and CaCl2), as well as pH and temperature, on FPM formulations was evaluated (α<0.10 and R2>0.75). The flow curves indicate that gels fitted to Ostwald-de Waele model and presented pseudoplastic behavior. Chewing viscosity (at a shear rate of 10 s−1) showed results between 0.05 and 36.16 Pa·s, affected by xanthan gum, FPM and egg albumin. Hysteresis (–1138 to 3950 (Pas−1)) was reduced with increasing pH (P=0.041), indicating the formation of more stable three-dimensional networks. Significant effects on firmness (0.114-0.434 N), consistency (1.286-3.397 N·s), cohesiveness (0.047-0.167 N), and viscosity index (0.067-0.810 N·s) were observed for sucrose, salts, and temperature (P<0.100). Chemometric analysis confirmed the influence of these factors on the evaluated responses but revealed no correlation between rheological and textural parameters.