Measuring Sauce Texture: Dispensing from Actuated Product Containers

Actuation Force test

Actuation Force Testing allows measurement of the force required to, for example, release mustard, ketchup or salad dressing  from dispensers, such as is found in fast food restaurants. 

Manually-actuated spray pump dispensers or finger pumps rely on the consumer to generate a hydraulic pressure in the pumping engine in order to dispense the fluid. 

Dispenser designs may change or vary or the every-increasing market for child friendly products may require adaptations.

When operating a pump-type dispenser, for example, a child may have difficulty applying sufficient force in the appropriate direction to operate the pump, which may cause the dispenser to move, tip, or otherwise fail to discharge the product toward the intended target. 

Assessment of actuation force
of salad cream

An actuation force test, where a hemispherical or cylinder probe pushes down onto the product specific actuation spot and measures the force to deliver a desired quantity of the container contents, provides an imitative test to assess such issues.

Request our article The Thick (and Thin) of it which looks at the texture analysis of semisolid products.

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For more information on how to measure texture, please visit the Texture Analysis Properties section on our website.

The TA.XTplus texture analyser is part of a family of texture analysis instruments and equipment from Stable Micro Systems. An extensive portfolio of specialist attachments is available to measure and analyse the textural properties of a huge range of food products. Our technical experts can also custom design instrument fixtures according to individual specifications.

No-one understands texture analysis like we do!

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