DUISBURG, GERMANY — Brabender introduced a new FarinoGraph that offers new features, the latest technology, optimized user friendliness and more.

The FarinoGraph, which determines the water absorption capacity of flour and the rheological properties of dough, is the successor to the Farinograph-TS. It features a slim and ergonomic design.

“Measurements with the new FarinoGraph are now even more automated and timesaving,” said Viktor Schäfer, business development manager software solutions at Brabender. “For instance, we have implemented an artificial intelligence based on previous measurements to predict the measurement curve and added a function to save measurement time.”

Brabender Prediction is the name of the feature that checks and calculates the evaluation points during the measurement and predicts the torque curve in real time.

With the help of this live feedback, the measurement can be stopped prematurely and the predicted values may be used instead. The AutoStop function ensures that the device stops after the measurement is complete, saving time.

“Many customers plan a buffer time for the measurements so that the measurements are complete,” Schäfer said. “With the Autostop function, this time is now eliminated as soon as all evaluation points have been reached.”

The new device does not only save space in the laboratory, but also guarantees long spare parts availability in the future. Like its predecessor models, it consists of a drive unit with infinitely variable speed control and a connected measuring kneader for kneading the dough to be tested.

“The FarinoGraph measures the kneading resistance as a function of the viscosity of the dough as torque,” Schäfer said. “This makes it possible to map water absorption, dough development time, dough stability, and the degree of dough softness.”

A built-in sensor measures the sample temperature of doughs. Via an additionally available temperature tracker, which can be connected via Bluetooth, it detects the temperature in the environment and displays the humidity in the room.

The FarinoGraph is suitable for all types of dough, whether gluten-free, sponge dough, soft and hard wheat according to standard specifications or for harder doughs made from rye flour and hard biscuit dough, for example. Different kneaders with 300, 50 and 10 grams, attachments for testing whole doughs and grain hardness as well as specific accessories are available depending on the user’s needs.

For use with the new FarinoGraph, Brabender also has optimized the AquaInject as an optional accessory. This is an automatic water dosing system for everyday laboratory use, but it can also be used as a stand-alone dosing system with any other device. The automatic dosing system eliminates the usual titration by hand, including the laborious and time-consuming refilling of the burette.

“However, the FarinoGraph can also be used without the automatic dosing system and only by means of manual dosing via the burette,” Schäfer said.

With the new AquaInject, automatic and precise titration curves also can be created, saving manual experiments.

Evaluations of the instrument become even more efficient with the EvaluationEditor and SmartCorrelation functions.

“Personalized evaluations of mathematical operations with measured values can be displayed via the EvaluationEditor, presenting useful comparisons and analyses,” Schäfer said. “With the correlation function, different measurement data can be compared and reference curves can be created by the user.”

The MetaBridge software solution, already known from other Brabender devices, also is installed on the new FarinoGraph. It offers many advantages for the user, such as flexible data access via a web browser or the integrated remote maintenance and feedback function for the fastest possible support by Brabender technicians. It also enables the automatic transfer of measured values between the FarinoGraph and other Brabender devices.