F
A NEW, SAFER AND FASTER SOLUTION FOR HAGBERG MEASUREMENT
T
by CHOPIN Technologies, France
he world reference in the field of quality control of cereals, flours and their derivatives, CHOPIN Technologies continues to advance its technological leadership with the Amylab FN, a new innovative solution for the detection of sprouted grains and the measurement of the alphaamylase activity of flours.
Why monitor wheat alpha-amylase levels?
The first step of a comprehensive wheat quality control program is analysing the composition of the sample. It is especially important to measure the level of alpha-amylase, which plays a very important role during the production of leavened bread. A shortage leads to hard-to-proof and low volume bread, whereas high amylase activity (due to sprouted grains) can lead to sticky dough and low bread volume with a red crust colour. There is an optimum level of alpha-amylase, which depends on the activity of the raw material (wheat, flour…) and the activity of added enzymes. It is therefore important for the industry to know alpha-amylase levels and to detect lots of sprouted grains, as soon as possible. Identification of the presence of sprouted wheat by measurement of alpha-amylase activity, according to two methods: The Hagberg falling number and Testogram In the grains industry, alpha-amylase activity is traditionally assessed by the Hagberg method. It was developed in the early 1960’s to provide a rapid means of determining the α-amylase activity in sprout damaged wheat or rye. It is widely accepted today and is standardised by international organisations, such as the ICC, AACCI, ISO and ASBC. 58 | March 2019 - Milling and Grain
The Amylab FN allows performing the Hagberg test with improved control of test conditions, compared to existing systems. It also adds the capability to have the same information, in a shorter time, using the Testogram mode.
Hagberg method
The Hagberg method measures the amount of time it takes for a stirrer to pass through a starch sample, formed by the gelatinisation of a liquid flour suspension under the effect of its own weight. The shorter the time required for the plunger to fall, indicates higher levels of alpha amylase. The Amylab FN applies the principles of the Hagberg method, while using innovative technologies. This guarantees that users will obtain the same results as with traditional instruments. Total test time depends on amylase activity and varies from 60 to more than 500 seconds (averaging around 200-300 seconds).
Testogram method
The Testogram method is a new, faster protocol. It measures the viscosity of a gel made of flour and water, that is agitated for 90 seconds at a constant temperature of 100°C. High consistency corresponds to low amylase activity (no gel degradation). The instrument displays the consistency curve live during the test. After obtaining this measurement, the Amylab FN applies a prediction model, developed by CHOPIN Technologies on hundreds of samples from all around the world. It accurately predicts the Hagberg falling number. It is, on average, 66 percent faster than the Hagberg method, and is providing more productivity to the user, compared to the falling number method.
Main benefits
No matter which method the operator is choosing to use, the Amylab FN features several additional key innovations that are