The topic of “plant-based alternatives” is nowadays indispensable. This is because vegan nutrition is in vogue and more and more people are doing without animal ingredients in their food and are turning to plant-based alternatives. An example of plant-based alternatives are milk substitutes made from oats, soy, almonds, rice, coconut, hemp, nuts and legumes (e.g. lupins, peas). There are many reasons for this: Animal welfare, environment, climate, health, fitness, taste, world hunger and optimal use of water and soil resources. The trend is upward.

Brabender also addressed this nutrition trend and developed a new application with the ViscoQuick viscometer. For this purpose, the company investigated the influence of vegan beverages on the processing properties of starch from the consumer’s point of view. Markus Löns, Business Development Manager Food & Feed at Brabender, will talk about the results of this successfully conducted study in a presentation entitled “Influence of vegan drinks on the viscosity properties of puddings” at the International Conference on the Importance of Plant- and Cell-based Alternatives for the Dairy Industry in Kempten on June 13: “This is the first time Brabender is participating in the conference. I am pleased about the exchange and the opportunity to present our application”, says Markus Löns.

Realistic measurement conditions in best time

Cow’s milk (UHT milk with a fat content of 1.5 percent) and 13 vegetable as well as unsweetened milk drinks were used for the study: Oat, spelt, rice, soy, lupine, pea, field bean (two different), buckwheat, cashew, hemp, coconut and almond. The advantages of viscosity measurement with the Brabender ViscoQuick are its precise and accurate reproducibility. In addition, the temperature profile is also very accurate and deviates only by a maximum of one degree Celsius. The temperature control of the ViscoQuick allows a maximum heating rate of 20 degrees Celsius per minute and a maximum cooling rate of 15 degrees Celsius per minute. These fast heating or cooling rates and the short measuring time of ten minutes are ideal for measuring the gelatinization properties of starch under realistic conditions such as room or refrigerator temperature: The ViscoQuick has an optimized temperature control that significantly reduces the measuring time. In the study presented, this enabled a final temperature of just 10 degrees Celsius to be achieved in 21 minutes. “Comparable devices without the Brabender innovation do not achieve these low temperatures or the measurements sometimes take more than 120 minutes”, emphasizes Löns. Thus, the ViscoQuick has best-in-class values.

Various application possibilities

The ViscoQuick viscometer is also suitable for other applications and measures the torque in a wide variety of pasty masses. For example, it can determine and optimize the gelling behavior of pulses as a basis for meat substitutes, sauces, confectionery or desserts. If desired, viscosity can also be determined in mPas or cP: Special cups and paddles are provided for this purpose on request. One of the latest applications is the determination of crystallization behavior in chocolate. Measurable raw materials from chocolate production include cocoa mass, cocoa butter and nut-containing masses.

Info: Markus Löns’ presentation “Influence of vegan drinks on the viscosity properties of puddings” will be given at the International Conference on the Importance of Plant- and Cell-based Alternatives for the Dairy Industry in Kempten at the LVFZ für Molkereiwirtschaft (Dairy School) on June 13 at 2 pm.