The main rheological features of oviductus ranae (OR) hydrogels were investigated as a function of temperature, pH and ionic strength. With respect to the steady shear measurements, a reduction in viscosity was observed as the temperature increased. The flow behavior can be well described by the Herschel-Bulkley model in the down curve at a shear rate of 300 to 0 s, where standard error is lower than 20, and it behaved like a viscoplastic fluid. OR gels showed greater extent of thixotropy with the increase of temperature. Temperature dependence on apparent viscosity at a specified shear rate can be described by the Arrhenius model with high R 2 values. The thermostability of OR hydrogels were verified by temperature sweep test, which showed that there was no phase transition observed in the temperature range of 10 to 90°C. It was found that at pH 5 to 10 and the salt concentration of 0 to 10 g/L, the OR hydrogels showed very weakly pH-dependent and salt-dependent rheological properties and dominant elastic behavior. All data indicated that OR has great potential for application as gelling and thickening agent with multiple healthy functions.
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