Measuring Consistency of Juices and Pastes

An empirical method for measuring the consistency of various coarse suspensions of

juices, preserves, jams, pastes, and other highly viscous products is described in this
protocol. In previous units, protocols were given for the measurement of viscosity of fluid
foods (UNITS H1.2 & H1.3). These are fundamental measurements in that the actual viscosity
is measured. Viscosity is a property of the fluid and its value should not depend on the
method of measurement. In this unit a popular empirical test is described. The Bostwick
consistometer is used to determine sample consistency by measuring the distance in
centimeters that a material flows under its own weight during a given time interval, which
in this case is 30 sec at 25C. Other temperatures can be used as long as all measurements
are made at the same temperature. Viscosity and consistency are very temperature
dependent (Eley, 1995; Weaver, 1996).

UNIT H1.4
BASIC
PROTOCOL

Consistency will also be influenced by the natural variation of soluble solids in fruit juices.
Because the soluble solids level changes during processing, consistencies are evaluated
among juices at a fixed level of soluble solids. The soluble solids content is determined
by refractometry, which measures the percent of sugar (sucrose) by weight at the
temperature indicated on the instrument. The scale used is the Brix scale, which is
equivalent to percent sucrose concentration. A common Brix level used by the tomato
industry to evaluate tomato paste consistency is 12 Brix. Soluble solids (measured in
degrees Brix) are often used as an indication of sugar content and maturity level in fruits,
vegetables, and their industrial products (Marsh et al., 1990).
Materials
Fruit juice or paste
Brix refractometer
Stomacher laboratory blender with sample bags (e.g., Thomas Scientific)
Bostwick consistometer (Fisher Scientific)
1. Apply a drop of a fruit juice or paste sample to a Brix refractometer, hold the
refractometer perpendicular to a light source, and determine the initial Brix (percent
soluble solids) value for the sample.
Adding bubbles to the sample, which will give incorrect readings, should be avoided.

2. Calculate the amount of water needed to adjust the Brix value to 12 using the
following equation:
Wi = (Cf Wf)/Ci
where Wi is the initial weight of the sample, Wf is the final weight of the diluted
sample, Cf is the final desired Brix value, and Ci is the initial Brix value of the sample.
3. Blend the sample and added water in a stomacher laboratory blender fitted with a
sample bag until the Brix value of the sample is consistently 12 0.1.
A minimum of 250 g sample should be prepared for each reading.
Samples with lower Brix values can also be measured as long as their concentrations are
consistent from experiment to experiment.
The stomacher is used to evenly blend the water into the paste without incorporating air
into the sample. Other blenders of this type could also be used.

4. Adjust sample temperature to 25C.

Contributed by Montana Camara Hurtado

Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry (2001) H1.4.1-H1.4.3
Copyright 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Viscosity of
Liquids,
Solutions, and
Fine Suspensions

H1.4.1

5. Close the gate of a Bostwick consistometer and adjust leveling screws until the
leveling bubble indicates that the consistometer is level.
6. Fill the consistometer reservoir to the point of overflow (e.g., 300 g of 12 Brix
paste) and remove excess from top of reservoir using a spatula.
7. Release the gate and let the sample flow for 30 sec. At the end of this period, measure
the distance the paste flowed from the gate to the leading edge of the sample in
centimeters and record this as the Bostwick value.
8. Rinse consistometer with water and dry.
9. Make at least three replicated readings with fresh samples.
COMMENTARY
Background Information

Measuring
Consistency of
Juices and Pastes

In the food industry it has often been difficult

to obtain true viscosity measurements (UNIT H1.1)
of complex fluid foods such as coarse fruit
suspensions. These are usually non-Newtonian
suspensions. Fruit concentrates are dispersions
of solid particles (pulp) in aqueous media (serum). Their rheological properties are of interest in practical applications related to processing, storage stability, and sensory properties.
Expensive rheometers are often not available in
quality control and product development laboratories. However, viscosity is nonetheless an
important quality factor of these products.
In order to obtain an estimate of viscosity,
many empirical tests have been developed in
the food industry. Each test characterizes the
viscosity of a product by some type of empirical
measurement, which is largely influenced by
product viscosity. The value produced by such
measurements may be influenced by other
rheological properties of the food as well as the
instrument used for the measurement. As long
as the same instrument is used in all measurements of the food products the measured values
may be ranked in order of their viscosity. Generally such empirical measurements of fluid
foods are said to yield consistency values. In
the food industry, E. P. Bostwick of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Canned Fruits and
Vegetable Service developed a widely used
empirical measurement of consistency using
the Bostwick consistometer. In theory, as the
Brix value of a sample increases, the Bostwick
consistency value should decrease. However, if
during food processing additives such as corn
starches or syrups are included in the food
formulation, the correlation between the Brix
concentration and Bostwick consistency values
could be lost. Here the term consistency may
be considered as related to viscosity, although

the exact numerical conversion may not be

known.

Critical Parameters and

Troubleshooting
Because consistency is strongly affected by
temperature and concentration of soluble solids, both parameters should be carefully controlled during sample preparation and measurement. Filling the Bostwick reservoir, leveling
the product, and releasing the gate must be done
in a timely manner to prevent separation of
serum and changes in temperature.

Anticipated Results
The consistency of a sample will vary depending on a number of factors including the
ripening stage of the initial product and processing conditions. Some typical Brix values
and their standard derivations are: tomato juice,
5.5 0.2; tomato puree, 7.3 0.1; ketchup, 12.0
0.01; and tomato paste, 12.0 0.1. Bostwick
values for the same products are: 8.5 0.2, 9.4
0.09, 22.0 0.08, and 6.5 0.02, respectively.
Both Brix and Bostwick values can vary among
similar products depending on their individual
processing conditions and formulations. For
both product consideration and consumer appeal, products with a high consistency or viscosity (i.e., with low Bostwick values for the
same Brix concentration) are very valuable.

Time Considerations
The largest time factor in this procedure is
associated with adjusting the Brix level of the
samples and equilibrating their temperatures.
The time required for sample preparation and
measurement is estimated to be 15 min per
sample.

H1.4.2
Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry

Literature Cited

Key References

Eley, R.R. 1995. Rheology and viscometry. In

ASTM Manual 17: Paint and Coating Testing
Manual (J.V. Koleske, ed.) pp. 333-368. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia.

McCarthy, K.L. and Seymour, J.D. 1994. Gravity

current analysis of the Bostwick consistometer
for power law foods. J. Texture Stud. 25:207220.

Marsh, G.L., Buhlert, J.E., and Leonard, S.J., 1980.

Effect of composition upon Bostwick consistency of tomato concentrates. J. Food Sci.
45:703-706.
Weaver, C. 1996. Equipment guide. In The Food
Chemistry Laboratory: A Manual for Experimental Foods, Dietetics, and Food Scientists. p.
97. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla.

Compared experimental measurements for Newtonian and power law fluids to theoretical predictions
and showed that the apparent viscosity predicted by
the Bostwick measurement must be correlated with
flow behavior during processing and thus could be
very useful to incorporate into food process design
and control.

Contributed by Montana Camara Hurtado

Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Madrid, Spain

Viscosity of
Liquids,
Solutions, and
Fine Suspensions

H1.4.3
Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry