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MEASUREMENT OF VISCOSITY AND SUCROSE CONCENTRATION IN AQUEOUS

SOLUTION USING PORTABLE BRIX METER

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Berkala Fisika ISSN : 1410 – 9662
Vol 13. , No.2, Edisi khusus April 2010, hal A23-A28

MEASUREMENT OF VISCOSITY AND SUCROSE

CONCENTRATION IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION USING
PORTABLE BRIX METER

Eko Hidayanto1), 2), Teruo Tanabe2) and Jun Kawai2)

1) Departement of Physics, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
2) Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan

Abstract
The viscosity of aqueous sucrose solution in various concentrations and the sugar content
were measured by using an Ostwald viscometer and a commercial available of portable Brix
meter respectively. The increasing of the concentration of sucrose would also followed by
increasing viscosity of the solution. Depending on their concentration, the measured value of
viscosity of solution would be automatically confirmed into the desired concentration unit. The
suitability of Brix meter for other application will be checked.

Keywords: viscosity, sucrose, Brix meter, solution concentration.

Abstrak
Viskositas larutan sukrosa air di berbagai konsentrasi dan kadar gula diukur dengan
menggunakan viskometer Ostwald dan Brix meter portabel komersial. Hasil penelitian
menunjukkan peningkatan konsentrasi sukrosa juga akan diikuti oleh peningkatan viskositas
larutan. Nilai viskositas yang diukur bergantung pada konsentrasi larutan dan akan
dikonfirmasikan secara otomatis ke dalam unit konsentrasi yang diinginkan. Kesesuaian meter
Brix untuk aplikasi lainnya akan diperiksa.

Kata kunci: viskositas, sukrosa, Brix meter, konsentrasi larutan.

1. INTRODUCTION in industry is to control the progress of

Viscosity is a fundamental physicochemical reactions during
characteristic property of all liquid. manufacturing. In the food processing,
Viscosity of aqueous electrolyte knowing the viscosity of the product is
solutions is of considerable interest due beneficial in that viscosity indicates
to its importance in both natural and consistency, pour-ability, concentration,
industrial processes. When a liquid and firmness to define product quality.
flows, it has an internal resistance to In petroleum, all the range possibilities
flow. The viscosity depends on make the vibrating viscometers as
temperature, pressure and the type and efficient on light fuels as on bitumen [1].
composition of the material. The The viscosity depends on
measurement of viscosity is significant temperature, pressure and the type and
importance in both industry and composition of the material. It may also
academia. Accurate knowledge of depend on the shear rate and can change
viscosity is necessary for various with time by the process of flow itself.
industrial processes. In industry, For special systems the viscosity is
viscosity allows distinguish directly the influenced by external electrical fields
quality of the final product such as [2]. Commonly, viscosity is measured
lubricating oils, fuels, inks, paints, and by the viscosity apparatus directly. The
so on. Another importance of viscosity relationship between concentration of

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Eko Hidayanto Dkk Measurement Of Viscosity …

sucrose solution and its viscosity will be

shown at the figure 1. The data of
viscosity is taken from the references
Start mark
[3]. Increasing of concentration will
influence on viscosity. From the
Stop mark
relationship, if we know the
concentration of solution, we can know
its viscosity. Capillary section

12

10

8
Figure 2. Ostwald viscometer
Viscosity (cP)

Refractive index of a medium or

4
a solution is a very important
2 characteristic parameter and some
0 associated parameters such as
0 10 20 30 40 50
Concentration (%)
temperature, concentration, viscosity,
etc., may be estimated from it. Those
Figure 1. Viscosity of sucrose aqueous parameters are used very often in
solution at 300C [3]. optical, chemical, and biomedical
industries. A simple and direct
There are several types of measurement of reflectivity could
viscometers classified into seven provide the refractive index of the test
categories by their measurement medium by using only Fresnel’s
principle as follows [4]: capillary, equation, it is related to the
orifice, high temperature, rotational, measurement of light intensity variations
falling-ball, vibrational, and ultrasonic [5]. The refractive index correlates
viscometer. The vibration-type closely to the molar fractions of the
viscometer, the working principle is components in solution, and constant for
based on the vibration, either torsion, a substance under standard conditions of
either translation, at resonance or temperature and pressure. The refractive
controlled frequency of a module index has been widely used to determine
immerged in a liquid. The falling-ball the concentration of sugar such as in
viscometer, the working principle is food, fruit juices, etc. as the Brix Value
based on measure of the time of the fell (BV) [6-8].
of a module placed in a vertical tube The commercially available
which contained a sample [1]. Brix Meter refers the light refraction. A
Capillary viscometer is most refractometer takes the refraction angles
widely used for measuring viscosity. A and correlates them to the refractive
common type of this capillary is called index values that have been established.
the “Ostwald” (shown at figure 2) with Using these values, it can determine the
simple in operation, require a small concentrations of solutions [9]. With
volume of sample liquid, temperature predefined formulas or concentration
control is simple and inexpensive. In tables, the density meter converts the
capillary viscometer, viscosity is measured density value automatically
measured noting the time required for a into the desired concentration unit [10].
known volume of liquid to flow through The Brix measuring ranges for several
a small capillary between two marked samples are listed in Table 1. [11].
lines.

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Berkala Fisika ISSN : 1410 – 9662
Vol 13. , No.2, Edisi khusus April 2010, hal A23-A28

The purpose of this study is to the relationship between the measured

apply the suitability of this Brix meter to value of concentration and viscosity of
other portable viscometer by knowing analyzed sample solution.

Table 1. Brix measuring range for several samples [11]

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Eko Hidayanto Dkk Measurement Of Viscosity …

2. EXPERIMENTAL
(a)
The viscosity of sucrose was be
determined by using Ostwald viscometer
(Sougo Rikagaku Galasu Seisakusho,
Kyoto, Japan). The distilled water
obtained by Elix 5 is used for
preparation of sucrose (C12H22O11 ;
Nacalai Tesque, Inc Kyoto Japan; GR
(c)
grade) standard solution. The viscosity
(b)
is determined by measuring its rate of Marked line 1

flow through a capillary tube. At a Marked line 2

constant temperature of 303 K, the
sucrose solution is added from the
pipette to the Ostwald viscometer as
illustrated at Figure 3(a). With the aid of
a piece of rubber tubing or pipette filler, Figure 3. Measurement of viscosity of
the liquid is sucked up the capillary arm sucrose solution using Ostwald viscometer.
of the viscometer until the surface of the (a) adding solution; (b) sucking up solution;
liquid is above the upper mark as (c) measuring time
illustrated at Figure 3(b). The liquid is
then allowed to flow down the arm. The
time required for the surface of the
liquid to pass from the upper mark to the
lower mark is noted, as illustrated at
Figure 3(c).
Sucrose solution in many various
concentrations are made by using mass
 mass of sucrose 
formula of  .
 mass of sucrose  water 
Then viscosity could be calculated using
Poiseuille equation. The concentration
of sucrose solution was measured by
portable Brix meter of RA-250HE
(Kyoto Electronics Manufacturing Co.
Ltd.) by dropping the sample onto the
prism, then pressing the read key and the
result will appeared on the display, like
as illustrated at figure 4. It can be Figure 4. Measurement of concentration of
calibrated with a drop of distilled water sucrose solution using portable Brix meter.
and cleaned by rinsing or wiping.

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Berkala Fisika ISSN : 1410 – 9662
Vol 13. , No.2, Edisi khusus April 2010, hal A23-A28

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION measured values using portable Brix

Standard pure water that used to meter and the measured value of
determine the capillary constant has the concentration of sucrose solution by
density and the viscosity are 0.99571 portable Brix meter and by direct
g/cm3 and 0.00798 g/cm.s respectively preparing is nearly similar, that describe
[12]. Using the equation:    kt , and at figure 5. It was seen at the figure 5
the time required for the surface of the that there is relationship between the
liquid to pass from the upper mark to the concentration and the viscosity. It was
lower mark, the capillary constant is shown that increasing the concentration
4.1286 x 10-5 cm2/s2. The time required of sucrose solution gives rise to
for sucrose solution is also noted, then increasing viscosity. With this tendency,
its viscosity in various concentrations the value of solution viscosity can be
can be calculated and experimental predicted base on the read value of
value is compared to the reference. concentration on this portable Brix
Table 2 shows the concentration values meter. So that, the Brix meter is
of sucrose solution by direct preparing applicable to other uses than
using mass formula of concentration measurement
 mass of sucrose 
 mass of sucrose  water  and the

Table 2. Concentration and viscosity of sucrose solution*

Concentration (Brix %) Viscosity (cP)
DP Measurement by PBM Theo. Measurement
Ave SD RSD [10] Ave SD RSD
5 4.9 0.12 2.37 0.8872 0.8994 0.0022 0.2509
10 9.7 0.21 2.15 1.0389 1.0539 0.0019 0.1774
15 14.6 0.23 1.58 1.2380 1.2418 0.0040 0.3261
20 19.6 0.17 0.88 1.5055 1.5077 0.0029 0.1948
25 24.6 0.21 0.85 1.8760 1.9020 0.0029 0.1516
30 29.5 0.17 0.59 2.4068 2.4480 0.0024 0.0987
35 34.6 0.21 0.60 3.1987 3.2786 0.0052 0.1581
40 39.5 0.21 0.53 4.4397 4.5696 0.0021 0.0471
45 44.4 0.26 0.60 6.5050 6.7306 0.0235 0.3493
50 49.4 0.23 0.47 10.2094 10.7237 0.1138 1.0612

*DP: sucrose concentration by direct preparing, PBM: sucrose concentration by portable Brix
meter; Ave: average value of concentration and viscosity in 3 times measurements, SD: standard
deviation of measurement, RSD: relative standard deviation (%) of measurement, Theo.:
theoretical value of sucrose viscosity [3].

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 Eko Hidayanto Dkk Measurement Of Viscosity …

12 [3] G. Roberto, “Calculations on Pure

reference
10 experiment Sucrose Solution,” 1997 on
8
http://www.seas.upenn.edu/course
Viscosity (cP)
s/belab/ReferenceFiles/Viscomete
6
r/SucroseCalculator.html
4 [4] D. S. Viswanath, T. K. Ghosh, D.
2 H. L. Prasad, N. V. K. Dutt, K. Y.
Rani. Viscosity of Liquids. In:
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 Introduction. Dordrecht,
Concentration (%)
Netherlands: Springer; p.1-14.
Figure 5. Viscosity of sucrose solution in
[5] C. Hsu, K. Chen, D. Su, Optics
various concentrations at 303 K.
Communications, 218 (2003),
205–211.
4. Conclusions
[6] Pomeranz Y, Meloan CE.
By using the easy and simply
Refractometry and polarimetry.
measurement of the viscosity of aqueous
In: Pomeranz Y, Meloan CE,
sucrose solution in various
editors. Food analysis. New York:
concentrations and the sugar content
Chapman & Hall; 1994. p. 430–
using an Ostwald viscometer and a
48.
commercial of portable Brix meter, the
[7] Bradley RL. Moisture and total
relationship between these parameters
solids analysis. In: Nielsen SS,
can be known. The experiment results
editor. Introduction to the
indicate that increasing of the
chemical analysis of foods.
concentration of sucrose would followed
Boston: Jones and Bartlett; 1994.
by increasing viscosity. Depending on
p. 95–111.
their concentration, the measured value
[8] W. K. Chang, S. A. McClave, Y.
of viscosity of solution would be
C. Chao, Clinical Nutrition, 23
automatically confirmed into the desired
(2004), 105–112.
concentration unit. With this tendency,
[9] http://www.coleparmer.com/techi
the value of solution viscosity can be
nfo/techinfo.asp?htmlfile=Refract
predicted base on the read value of
ometers.htm
concentration on this portable Brix
[10] http://us.mt.com/mt/filters/applicat
meter. So that, portable Brix meter is
ions_analytical_density-
applicable to other uses than
determination-
concentration measurement.
analytics/Density_concentration_t
ables_browse_0x000248e100025b
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