Viscosity issues

[smithtrek]

I noticed the thread "Factors affecting the viscosity of palm oil" was closed before I had a chance to comment. The problem posed was wildly different viscosity readings. The list of factors affecting viscosity was a good list. But what I would have added was the measurement itself. Brookfield viscosity can be very sensitive to temperature and human factors in testing, especially with complex natural chemicals in the food industry. At one place I worked, a team performed an MSA on viscosity measurement of starch-based and flour-based batter. Results showed that a viscosity cup measurement (Accu Dyne is one vendor)gave a more accurate and meaningful reading than Brookfield viscosity. I have seen Brookfield results range from 200 to over 1000 cps over a shift when the cup viscosity measurements showed there was little change during the shift. I don't know which instrument was used to measure viscosity for that closed thread I mentioned, but the fluctuating viscosity results caught my attention. If anyone else has experience with viscosity measurement that could either support, refute or clarify my observations, please respond.