New Approaches to Cereal and Cereal Product Quality Measurement Using the Rapid Visco Analyser

摘要

The Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA) is a relatively new instrument that is desinged to measure the cooking quality of starch and activity of amylolytic enzymes. It works by precisely controlling and varying the cooking temperature of small samples of material (typically 3-4g) and measuring the viscosity during pasting. Although originally used for monitoring sprout damage in wheat, it has recently found much wider application in the food industry. Applications range from monitoring modification and malting quality of barley in malt houses and breweries to production control in starch manufacturing plants, where a full amylography-type pasting curve can be produced in under 20 minutes. Recent research has also demosntrated its applicability to assessing wheat starch for making yellow alkaline and white salted noodles, and also to monitoring raw material quality for fast food manufacturers, particularly in extrusion. The RVA also continues to provide an important screening tool in cereal breeding programs.