Characterisation of skimmed milk powders by Rapid Visco Analysis

The Rapid Visco Analyser(RVA) is a rotational viscometer with the ability t o vary shear and temperature during testing and has been used to assess the pasting properties of starch in food ingredients such as corn, flour and e xtrusion premixes. The RVA represents a potentially useful technique for st udying other food systems where the conformations and interactions of compo nents are sensitive to heat and shear. We report hers the use of an RVA-bas ed method for characterising the reheat rheological properties of skimmed m ilk powders.