ND-1/2 Bloom Viscosity Tester

Bloom Viscosity Tester: The Ultimate FAQ Guide

This guide explores everything you need to know about the bloom viscosity tester.

From the basic definition, components, calibration all through to maintenance processes – this guide will help you understand every aspect of the bloom viscosity tester.

Keep reading to learn more.

What is a Bloom Viscosity Tester?

A bloom viscosity tester is equipment that measures the bloom viscosity of gelatin.

It plays an integral role in soft gelatin capsule production.

Of course, it is a must-have lab instrument in gelatin processing.

Bloom viscosity tester

Why is Measuring Viscosity Important?

Measuring viscosity will enable you to know how a product will behave in the real world.

Measuring viscosity will enable the product to be of consistent quality.

It will help you understand how fast gelatin will flow.

This makes it easier to optimize the entire manufacturing and processing steps.

Besides, it forms an integral aspect of quality control.

What are the Parts of a Bloom Viscosity Tester?

A bloom viscosity tester has many components built into it.

The parts include:

• A sample container
• A spindle guard leg
• An LCD touch display
• An elevating knob
• A lifting pole
• A height adjustment knob
• A front horizontal bubble
• A base

How does a Bloom Viscosity Tester Work?

The first step involves turning on the bloom viscosity tester.

On the sample container, you will place the gelatin solution.

The viscosity of various gelatin solutions relies on the concentration, temperature, and bloom value.

Determining viscosity involves measuring efflux time averaging 100 ml of the gelatin solution using a pipette.

A bloom viscosity tester works on the bloom as it has an MPU that controls all actions on the tester.

An LED display will indicate all the measurements of the test.

A bloom viscosity tester calculates viscosity and time as it uses and precise capillary photo-electric transducer.

All test data is visible on the touch display.

The tester turns off when the test is ready as it has an auto timer, automatic testing, and automatic alarm system.

The bloom viscosity tester will store the data of each sample making it ready for analysis.

Should you use Mineral Oil or Silicone Standards in a Bloom Viscosity Tester?

A bloom viscosity tester uses silicon as it is not that sensitive to temperature.

Why do you need an Appliance Standard in a Bloom Viscosity Tester?

An appliance standard indicates the efficiency of the bloom viscosity tester to the consumer.

The standard will regulate the quality of the bloom viscosity tester.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers have to adhere to these standards to access different markets across the globe.

Some of the appliance standards include:

• Vocation standard (Photographic gelatin) QB/t1997-94
• Vocation standard (Industrial gelatin) QB/T1995-94
• Vocation standard (Bone gelatin) QB/T1996-94
• Vocation standard (Gelatin for medicine) QB2354-98
• American codex/No.22/VSPXX

This standard deals with products for the United States of America.

• National standard (Food additive Gelatin) GB6783-94

This standard will apply to food additives and gelatin which you achieve via hydrolysis.

It involves hydrolysis of raw materials such as bones, tendons, skins, muscles, and scales.

What is the Difference Between a Bloom Viscosity Tester and a Rheometer?

There isn’t much difference between a bloom viscosity tester and a rheometer.

A bloom viscosity tester will specifically test the viscosity of gelatin.

On the other hand, rheometers will measure non-Newtonian fluids, this means all kinds of non-Newtonian fluids.

It is worth mentioning that gelatin is a non-Newtonian fluid.

Examples of non-Newtonian fluids include honey, starch suspensions, melted butter, corn starch, etc.

How do you Calibrate a Bloom Viscosity Tester?

Here is how to calibrate a bloom viscosity tester:

Bloom viscosity tester

• Make sure the bloom viscosity tester is ready for use.
• The different calibration standards you can use include 50, 500, 1000, and 5000 cps.
• Press “SELECT SPINDLE” on the display to select the spindle as per the requirement.
• The “S” line will start blinking for four seconds.
• Continue by pressing the “UP or DOWN” arrow key as it blinks.
• The UP arrow will increase the spindle number while DOWN will decrease the spindle number.
• Stop pressing the arrow keys.
• Press the “SELECT SPINDLE” key once again.
• Press “SELECT SPEED” key to select the speed as you require.
• “0.0” line will start to blinking for four seconds.
• Press the “UP or DOWN” arrows keys to select the rpm speed.
• The UP arrow increases the rpm speed while the DOWN arrow decreases the rpm speed.
• Proceed by attaching the spindle to the lower shaft.
• Start by lifting the shaft lightly and holding it firmly while screwing the spindle.
• Place the gelatin solution beneath the center of the spindle.
• Insert the spindle till the level of the fluid is at the immersion groove of the “SPINDLE MARK LINE”.
• Make sure that no bubbles form at the surface of the spindle.
• Continue by pressing the “MOTOR ON/OFF” button to begin the test.
• Wait until the reading stabilizes.
• On the calibration log, you will record the stabilization reading in the CPS unit.
• Once again, press the “MOTOR ON/OFF” button to end the test.
• Turn off the main switch.
• After use, you are to clean the spindle and the tester.
• Stick the calibration label on the bloom viscosity tester.

What is the Price of a Bloom Viscosity Tester?

The price of a bloom viscosity tester varies widely.

A bloom viscosity tester can go for between 620 US dollars to 3900 US dollars.

What are the Quality Standards for Bloom Viscosity Tester?

A bloom viscosity tester should conform to quality standards for safety and health reasons.

Some of the quality standards include cGMP, CE, RoHS, and CCC.

This is alongside other quality standards stipulated within a specific geographical location.

What are the Benefits of using a Bloom Viscosity Tester?

Some of the benefits of a bloom viscosity tester include:

 Bloom viscosity tester

• Pharmaceutical and food industries will know how the gelatin will behave once it gets to the consumer.
• Pharmaceutical and food industries will save a lot as a bloom viscosity tester reduces operation costs.
• It ensures the safety of the technician performing the tests.
• It reduces wastage that can occur during testing of samples.
• It flexibly takes various measurements on various samples.
• It is easy to adjust when you are conducting the tests.
• When you link it to a computer, you can easily analyze the results.
• It is easy to use since it is digital and gives accurate results.
• It can operate with different capillary tubes.
• It comes in many designs that will fit your operational needs such as portability and size.
• It assists you in making production and logistical designs.

What is the Pharmaceutical Applications of a Bloom Viscosity Tester?

Some of the pharmaceutical applications of a bloom viscosity tester include:

• Testing biological fluids in medical centers, and diagnostic testing centers.
• Adequate cure profiling for bonding or gelling systems.
• Benchmarking products for various uses like spreading or pumping.
• It assesses and optimizes the dispersion stability of various pharmaceutical fluids.
• it will assist in a screening prior to formulating processes in biopharmaceuticals.
• It tests and analyses different foodstuffs such as candy, chocolate, margarine, chewing gum, etc.
• It assists in determining the shelf life of products since the material properties will change.
• It assists in producing biological products.
• It analyses implantable devices that deliver drugs and repair organs and tissues.
• Assists in the manufacturing of drugs and syrups.

What are the Features of a Bloom Viscosity Tester?

Some of the features of a bloom viscosity tester include:

• High-quality material makes up the parts of a bloom viscosity tester.
• It automatically calculates the viscosity and time using capillary tubes and precise transducers.
• It has a touch screen LED display for easy operation.
• Its simple design makes it appealing and pleasing in appearance.
• It incorporates low noise, none-pollution, durability, and slight shock features.
• It incorporates an even liquid bath temperature and high-temperature accuracy.
• It comes with an MPU to control all functions.
• It has an auto-test, auto-diagnose, auto-timing, and auto-alarm features.

What are the Types of Viscosity?

There are two measurements of viscosity that can describe fluids.

They describe the flow of the fluid in various ways to how measurement happens.

In addition, they are exchangeable if you know the density of the fluid.

The two types of viscosity are:

• Dynamic Viscosity

Dynamic viscosity measures a fluid’s resistance to flow when an external force is acting on it.

It measures the ratio of shear stress to the shear rate of the fluid.

• Kinematic Viscosity

Kinematic viscosity measures the resistance of the fluid when only gravity, and no external force, is acting on it.

It measures the ratio of viscous force to the inertia force of the fluid.

What Are Some Popular Viscometers that you can use to Measure Shear Viscosity?

Some of the popular viscometers that you can use to measure shear viscosity include:

• Falling-ball viscometer
• Vibrational viscometer
• Standard laboratory viscometer
• Bubble viscometer
• Oscillating-piston viscometer
• Falling-piston viscometer
• Rectangular-slit viscometer
• Krebs viscometer
• Rotational viscometer
• Orifice viscometer

What are the Factors that Affect Viscosity?

The factors that affect viscosity are:

• Temperature

An increase in the temperature of gelatin will result in a decrease in viscosity.

When temperature increases, the particles in gelatin will move faster and far away from each other.

This will increase the rate of flow.

• Concentration

Concentration is the amount of substance that is in the gelatin or any pharmaceutical product.

When you increase the concentration of gelatin, the viscosity will increase.

High concentration means the particles are close together while low concentration means particles are far apart.

• Particle Size

The size of particles in gelatin will affect the viscosity.

When the particles are small in size, they will easily move past each other.

This means the gelatin will flow faster meaning it has a lower viscosity.

On the other hand, if the gelatin has large particles, the particles will move slowly.

This results in a higher viscosity.

• Attractive Force

The particles in gelatin attract to one another meaning they are attracted to each other.

The strong attraction will result to higher viscosity.

When particles are of different substances, the level of viscosity will decrease.

What are the Various Viscosity Testing Methods?

There are many methods one can use to test the viscosity of food or pharmaceutical products.

Here are some of the popular viscosity testing methods:

· Glass [capillary] Viscometer Test

In this test, you will use a glass tube that is in the shape of the letter “U.”

This begins with you submerging the U-tube in a temperature-controlled bath.

You then record the time it takes for the gelatin to flow in the tube from one point to the next.

This happens by the force of gravity or through suction.

The time reading is in seconds and the bath has a temperature of 40- or 100-degrees C.

Multiply the time by a constant to calculate the absolute or kinematic viscosity.

· Falling Ball and Falling Piston Viscometer Test

In this test, you will allow a ball to fall through the gelatin solution.

Measure the time it takes the ball to move from one point to the other.

To measure viscosity, you need to know the terminal velocity, density, and size of the ball or piston.

· Rotational Viscometer Test

Here, you will insert a spindle in the gelatin solution.

You will measure the resistance by using the torque of the rotating shaft.

This test measures absolute viscosity as you are not using the force of gravity.

What Principle does a Bloom Viscosity Tester Use?

A bloom viscosity tester will use the principle of rotational viscometry.

This involves a rotating spindle and its torque to calculate viscosity.

 Viscosity tester

How do you Maintain a Bloom Viscosity Tester?

Replace all broken or faulty parts for the machine to operate optimally.

Clean the machine after each use to avoid molds.

Use genuine parts when replacing to avoid any complications with the tester.

What is the Unit for Measuring Viscosity?

Newton-second per square meter (N·s/m²) is the SI unit of dynamic viscosity.

What Causes Viscosity?

Friction is what causes viscosity in a fluid.

It is the outcome of intermolecular forces between the particles in the fluid.

At SaintyCo, we have a range of pharmaceutical instruments you need for strict quality control in the pharmaceutical, food process, and chemical industries.

Contact us today for a high-quality bloom viscosity tester.