Proton NMR and Dielectric Measurements on Sucrose Filled Agar Gels and Starch Pastes

Low‐field proton NMR and high‐frequency dielectric measurements were performed on sucrose‐filled agar gels of 0 to 1.2g sucrose/g water and starch pastes of concentrations between 0.2 and lg starch/ g water. The dielectric constant decreased linearly with increasing concentration for both. The dielectric loss of sucrose‐filled agar gels showed two regions, first increasing and then decreasing with concentration. The dielectric loss data for starch pastes showed a constant value close to that of pure water throughout the concentration range. Dielectric data were related to hydration models derived from proton NMR measurements.