Depending on your need, there are also physical tests for gelatinization of starches, for example, based upon pasting curves, using viscosity readings at different temperatures. One is Germany's C.W Brabender Viscograph-E. It is frequently used in some sectors of the food industry. Another similar method, more compact, is the RVA, Rapid Visco-Analyzer, by Newport Scientific of Australia, a subsidiary of Perten of Sweden.