Rheological properties of carboxymethyl cellulose and alginate mixtures have been studied. In a previous paper, the rheological properties of the polymers employed in this study were characterized and the average molecular weight and intrinsic viscosity were determined. The influence of shear rate on different polymers ratios in aqueous solutions upon the apparent viscosity was determined and the effect of temperature on rheological behaviour was also studied. Characteristic behaviours were found for the mixtures analyzed with clear deviations from a linear trends. Models based on the viscosity of individual polymer solutions have been employed to analyze experimental results. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.