The effect of pH and stabilization time on apparent viscosity of aqueous dispersion of wholemeal barley flour

The effect of stabilization time (0.5-3 h), pH (1.5-12), and shear rate (200-1200 s–1) on the apparent viscosity of the aqueous dispersion of wholemeal barley flour was determined. Six barley flours with different (1→3), (1→4)β–D–glucan contents were used in this study. The results revealed the significant effect of pH on apparent viscosity, but no unidirectional relationships were observed. The highest values of apparent viscosity were obtained at the highest pH (pH 12). An increase in the apparent viscosity of the barley flour dispersion with the passage of time was observed. A significant linear correlation between the apparent viscosity of aqueous dispersions of wholemeal barley flour and the content of (1→3), (1→4)–β–D glucans in wholemeal barley flour was found. These results suggest that measurements of apparent viscosity may be used to rapidly estimate (1→3), (1→4)–β–D glucan content in barley wholemeal flour. The content of (1→3), (1→4)–β–D glucans may be determined with an accuracy of 87% by the apparent viscosity of the barley flour dispersion (R2 = 0.87) with the following measurement conditions: 10% w/w wholemeal barley flour water dispersions, shear rate 1200 s–1, pH 12, 1.5-2 h time stabilization.