The cascade model for mixed gels developed by the author in a previous work is extended to describe the temperature-dependent gel properties. The equilibrium constant of the association between component polymers is assumed to depend on temperature via a van't Hoff-type equation. The temperature variation of the network structure and gel modulus is presented and discussed at different parameters such as enthalpy change per crosslink Delta H degrees, entropy change per crosslink Delta S degrees, functionality ratio s, and concentration ratio r. It is demonstrated that the model agrees reasonably well with the experimental data obtained from the rheological gelling for galactomarman/xanthan and glucomannan/xanthan mixed gels. However, the resulting model parameters are not consistent with those obtained from the concentration dependence study. A further investigation on the calorimetric thermogram of the glucomannan/xanthan mixed gel reveals that the gelling process involves an association reaction followed by a structural rearrangement, which is beyond the scope of this work. Finally, the cascade model is shown to be consistent with the Eldridge-Ferry equation. It is also demonstrated that the sol-gel behavior of the galactomannan/xanthan mixed gel follows the Eldridge-Ferry relationship, but the calculated melting enthalpy is composition-dependent, contrary to the assumption made in the cascade model. This discrepancy is due to the self-association of xanthan when xanthan is present in excess amounts. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.