The HAIR COMBING RIG (A/HCR) has been developed to assist manufacturers in the development of more effective conditioning agents.
It is well known that conditioning shampoos and hair conditioners are used to provide a variety of benefits to hair: they reduce the combing force, enhance the gloss, confer smoothness and antistatic properties and they improve the manageability of the hair.
This summer while waiting in line at your local ice cream parlour, you may have a lot to ponder.
Do you want ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt or sorbet? Will you choose a cone or a bowl? What about sprinkles, nuts or chocolate sauce?
Back in the lab, ice cream manufacturers also have a lot to ponder when developing, testing, and reformulating their products.
Using a Texture Analyser, it’s possible to measure several textural properties of ice cream as well as the syrups, sauces, and inclusions that are added for enhanced consumer novelty or experience.In terms of volume, ice cream is by far the largest frozen snack food item consumed in the frozen state in the West.
During its market growth, it has been transformed from a very high-class, expensive almost all-dairy product into an adequate, largely non-dairy but much cheaper and still very attractive version.
The TAPE UNWINDING RIG (A/TUR) allows the measurement of unwind adhesion – the force required to unwind the tape from the roll.
This attachment consists of a spool, with heavy duty ball bearing, the mount for which screws to the test platform. A standard tensile grip secures the loose end of the tape reel and the adhesive strength may be measured as the grip tries to peel the tape from the reel.
The rig allows the measurement of unwind adhesion – the force required the tape from the roll.
Revenue of the global bakery goods manufacturing industry has risen modestly over the past five years to around $408bn, despite having faced numerous challenges.
However, demand for bakery products has stagnated in the mature markets of Western Europe and North America, causing manufacturers to seek opportunities in high-growth regions; in coming years, the industry is anticipated to grow more aggressively, supported by the growth of emerging markets.
The industry is in the mature stage of its life cycle. One characteristic of a mature industry is that it is expected to expand more slowly than global GDP. In the 10 years to 2020, industry value added (IVA), which measures an industry's contribution to the global economy, is projected to rise at an average annual rate of 2.6%, while over the same 10-year period world GDP is forecast to rise at an annualised rate of 3.4%.
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 HAIR COMBING RIG (A/HCR) has been developed to assist manufacturers in the development of more effective conditioning agents.
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. 
