STICKINESS/ADHESIVENESS is the work/force necessary to overcome the attractive forces between the surface of the product and the surface of the material (the probe) with which the product comes in contact.
It is commonly the textural property possessed by confectionery products, cooked pasta products, raw bakery products, pharmaceutical patches and, more obviously – adhesives.
TACKINESS is the property of being cohesive and sticky. It does not appear to be referred to in the food industry, but there are many references in e.g. solder paste measurement for printed circuit board industry.
PEEL STRENGTH is a material's ability to resist forces that can pull it apart by separating a flexible surface from a rigid surface or another flexible surface.
Peel tests are useful for a variety of products and can be performed on containers such as jars, cans, trays, packaging pouches as well as assessment of adhesive, cosmetic and medical products such tapes, bandages, wax strips etc.
The most common tests are the T-peel, 90 degree peel and the 180 degree peel but different peeling angles are possible. Usually the average force per unit width and the peak force required to separate either of these two surfaces is measured.
DISINTEGRATION is the ability to become reduced to components, fragments, or particles.
It may be as a result of decay, loss of cohesion, dissolving in liquid or crumbling and is generally associated with shrinkage, loss of height or volume from its original form. It is one of the primary characteristics of bath bombs, fast-disintegrating tablets, whipped creams, foams and mousses.
The Texture Analyser can be used to monitor the change in height of a product from its original height over a period of disintegration or volume/height loss. By tracking the distance required to move to maintain a chosen force the rate of decay can be plotted and calculated to the end point or period of no further change.
An independent study published in the Journal of Food Science has recognised the superior performance of Stable Micro Systems’ Warner-Bratzler shear blade in assessing firmness and texture in salmon fillets*.
The blade, which is used to assess the cutting force, or ‘bite’ of fresh fish, was the most sensitive method tested and yielded the most consistently accurate and repeatable data. As post-mortem quality degradation in fish continues to affect revenues, these conclusions will assist manufacturers looking to implement reliable, accurate and tested quality control procedures.
SPREADABILITY is the ease with which a product can be spread.
It is a desirable characteristic of margarines, butter, jams, chocolate spreads, etc. but is also an important property of ointments, creams and waxes.
It is related to the firmness of a product and, more often than not, the ease of spreading is associated with a loss in firmness.
