Miller Magazine Issue: 117 September 2019

72 TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM MILLER / SEPTEMBER 2019 systems, which range from measurement options to savings in terms of space, time, and costs, as well as in terms of the collection of measurement data. UI: The ViscoQuick is a compact device which is also user-friendly. It is fitted with an integrated heating and cooling system, so that an external thermostat is not necessary. There is also the intel- ligent MetaBridge software from Brabender, which allows all measurement data to be evaluated, di- agrams to be displayed, and applications to be saved. This makes the ViscoQuick a stand-alone device which not only saves space, but which can also be used independently of other devices What advantages does the system offer for vis- cosity measurements in practical applications? JW: The greatest advantage afforded by the Vis- coQuick is the enormous amount of time saved during measurements. Compared to classic meas- urements for starch gelatinization, a measurement procedure is possible in approx. 15 minutes with the ViscoQuick. With the ViscoQuick, a heating rate of up to 20 °C/minute is possible, and a cool- ing rate of up to 15 °C/minute. Furthermore, the integrated heating/cooling feature also reduces any error sources in the measurements. The Vis- coQuick also offers improved reproducibility with the new patented dynamic taring and calibration method and the new, precise heating/cooling sys- tem. This not only delivers reliable results, but also saves clients time, as repeated measurements are reduced. Another advantage is that, depending on the sample material, only small sample sizes of between 5 and 10 grams are required and that temperature ranges between + 10 °C and 98 °C can be achieved. Furthermore, the reusable sam- ple containers and paddles are made of stainless steel, meaning that they can be cleaned easily and also be used for applications with bases and acids. This means that additional sample containers do not need to be bought, thereby providing a sus- tainable solution and saving on follow-up costs. Which param- eters can be measured with the device and which materials and/or appli- cations is the device suitable for? JW: With the ViscoQuick, it is possible to de- termine the vis- cosity behavior of samples. Dur- ing this process, the viscosity of a suspension is recorded via the rotating paddle during the entire m e a s u r e m e n t procedure. The MetaBridge soft- ware records a complete picture and supplies infor- mation on viscosity increases and the maximum vis- cosity. The ViscoQuick enables the analysis of starch gelatinization properties, qualitative determination of alpha-amylase activity in flours, and measurement of the absolute viscosity of Newtonian fluids. UI: This makes the ViscoQuick suitable for a wide range of uses. It can be used to measure hot and cold viscosities and to check the stability of thickening and binding agents. It is equally suit- able for testing the acid resistance of starches as well as for investigating alkaline gelatinization.