The MULTIPLE PUNCTURE PROBE (A/MPP)
Products which have non-homogeneous textures due to the presence of, for example, dried fruits, vegetables or nuts or consist of different layers to provide more interest to the consumer may present a testing challenge.
In some instances, using the Ottawa or Kramer shear cell would require a force beyond the existing load capacity for the texture analyser. Other options such as a standard penetration test on a non-uniform product may have low reproducibility.
Most of us obsess over flavour of everything from ice cream to chocolate – but the professionals know that crispiness, creaminess and chewiness is just as important.
"The magic begins here," reads the website for Ingredion, a company whose Texture Centre of Excellence helps the food industry achieve the perfect consistency for their products.
Texture is big business and the science of food structure even has its own 'ology: food rheology. But the professionals know all too well that, while the sensory spotlight may fall on flavour when we're savouring a mouthful, get the texture wrong and it's game over – we'll reject it outright.
The EYE SHADOW TEST uses standard Cylinder Probes P/2 – P/6 to perform a puncture test on the pressed tablet form of eyeshadow, which is today probably the most popular form of this product.
An essential purpose of binders, and other raw ingredients, is to provide stability to the tablet to prevent it from crumbling, flaking and dusting both during shipment and use. This property is judged by measuring the hardness or ‘cake strength’ of the tablet by penetration tests.
The measurement of gel
strength and film properties is of widespread interest in the manufacture of
pharmaceutical, medical and cosmetic products.
Gel strength is a measure of the ability of a colloidal dispersion to develop and retain a gel form. Other gel
properties such as elasticity and rupture force of, for example,
pectin, gelatine, agar etc. are important in the development of such
products as coronary stents where hydrogel polymers are selected due to
their soft, rubbery nature which gives them a strong, superficial
resemblance to living, soft tissue.
The CAPSULE/LOOP TENSILE RIG (A/CLT) measures the force required to split one half of a hard gel capsule.
This allows manufacturers to investigate the effects of certain fillings on the capsule shell and identify changes that may impact their stability and long-term performance.
Prior to testing, the filling of the capsule is removed and the empty shell is mounted to a separating rod fixture on the Texture Analyser. Vertical movement of the upper rod is then applied until the capsule is split apart, while the force required to do so is recorded.
Regenerative Medicine is providing opportunities to replace, repair, maintain and/or enhance tissue function for clinical use.
Imagine a world where you could heal a wound without scarring, where mind-degenerating disorders don’t exist, or where no one waits on a transplant list.
Sensory and neuronal-degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatic diseases, osteoporosis, and others have become all too common in the ageing population of industrial countries. Injuries and trauma to the human body not only leave physical scarring but can also prohibit you from doing the things you enjoy.
The EYE PENCIL RIG (A/EP) provides a method of carrying out a vital test on eye pencil samples.
The rigidity of an eye pencil core must allow the tip to be sharpened to a point to provide a ‘defined line’ application without scratching the eye of the user.
The product developer must tackle the challenge of creating a product which achieves this but is not so soft to cause smudging around the eye or have the tendency to become crumbly or brittle after prolonged or low-temperature storage.
Texture is a very important parameter in the total quality of meat and meat products (i.e. whole tissue and processed meats). For the consumer’s acceptability of meat, tenderness is a crucial property. As whole tissue meat is a natural product it possesses inherent variability due to many factors. As a sample for testing this presents a common problem to assess the texture repeatably.
Processed meats have three general types: deli-styles (for example turkey, bologna), that are sliced, formed meats (meat balls, meat patties, chicken patties, chicken nuggets) and sausage-style meats which are usually tubular shaped.
