Starch fineness refers to the size and morphology of starch particles and is commonly used to assess the quality and suitability of starch. The determination of starch fineness can be carried out by the following methods:
Prepare the sample: Weigh 2 grams of the starch sample, add it to 50 ml of distilled water, and stir well.
Determination of starch slurry viscosity: Ubbelohde viscometer is used to measure the viscosity of starch slurry as follows:
Pour the starch slurry into a clean viscometer, record the temperature and the time of pouring into the viscometer.
Put the viscometer into a constant temperature Water Bath and keep it at 20°C for 60 minutes.
Use paper towels to clean the viscometer's exterior surfaces and internal tubing before and after the measurement.
After 60 minutes, record the time t (unit: second) for the liquid to drop in the viscometer.
Determination of starch powder particle size: Use an image analyzer or microscope to determine the size and shape of starch powder particles.
Calculation of starch fineness: Calculate the fineness of starch using the following formula: Starch fineness = (viscosity/time) x 1000 / average particle size of powder
North and South Chao reminds you: Factors such as the concentration of starch slurry, temperature and pH value may affect the measurement results. In order to obtain accurate measurement results, it is necessary to control the experimental conditions and repeat the measurement many times.
