Some  plant mucilages contain very high molecular weight biopolymers. Dilute solutions of these biopolymers exhibit much higher viscosity in extensional flow than they do in shear flow, making them ‘cohesive’ and adaptive to the particular kind of flow field applied. Flow field responsive rheology, conceptually, could create some interesting and novel textural properties in comparison to traditional hydrocolloids such as Xanthan gum, carrageenan etc. Furthermore, there are also potential biomechanical applications since these materials mimic some of the functionality of mucins and saliva.

We aim to isolate and fractionate typical plant mucilages in order to identify, characterize and then utilise the rheologically functional parts.