Texture Analysis update in the Petfood World

The very best in nutrition for our animal friends. 

Four out of five pet owners consider their pet a member of the family and with 79% saying the quality of their pet’s food is as important as their own, it is not surprising that the premium sector accounts for 40% of the $26 billion US pet food market. 

Six recent interesting articles about Texture Analysis

Texture is a food product’s defining factor – getting it wrong can mean rejection by consumers. A product could taste great, have a healthy advantage, and look fantastic, but if the texture doesn’t hit the mark, it just won’t work. 

For those who are new to this field of science, the following recent articles give a good introduction in several explanatory styles and highlight the importance of food texture:

Is your Ice Cream Tub at the Top of the Stack?

An ice cream tub has an important job. It must attract the supermarket shopper with an appealing design, often showing off the ice cream through a transparent window. 

The structure of the ice cream should be protected – any decorations or surface construction should remain in place and not be squashed by the lid. At the same time, there are requirements for packaging to be lightweight, stackable and suitable for nesting in pallets during shipping as well as minimising both empty space and material usage.

Altering Data Acquisition Rate and Corner Frequency to Optimise your Texture Analysis

DATA ACQUISITION RATE 

Otherwise known as sampling frequency, the data acquisition rate of a test is defined by the number of data points collected per second (pps). In general, a higher data acquisition rate allows the collection of more detail during a test. The maximum possible data acquisition rate has increased over the years with improved technology and increased computer memory.

The recently released Connect range of Texture Analysers allows data collection up to 2000pps. This higher acquisition rate (2000pps) detects up to four times as many force changes per second as the previously available rate (500pps) and so it is very well-suited to applications involving high rate fracture, such as crispiness or high speed events such as in the measurement of adhesives or brittle samples. 

Why change from the Standard Method approach?

Tape Unwinding Rig A/TUR

A Standard Test Method is a definitive procedure that produces a test result. In order to ensure accurate and relevant test results, a standard test method is explicit, unambiguous, and experimentally feasible, as well as effective and reproducible.

A standard test method can be considered an experiment that determines one or more characteristics of a given sample and the detail of the test method is usually as a result of creation from a number of experts in that measurement field. Within the materials testing industry, for example, there are an enormous number of standard methods (e.g. ASTM, ISO) that have been developed to measure specific sample characteristics. 

Textural Measurement of Gelatine

Gelatine has become well established as a vital ingredient in many products, due to its multi-functional gelling, thickening, elastic and foaming properties.

A pure and naturally-sourced ingredient, gelatine is used to improve texture, appearance and sensory enjoyment. Selection of the correct gelatine and the right combination of gelling agents is vital to provide either soft, malleable textures or a smooth, firm end product, depending on application requirements. 

Mucosal Delivery: Measuring Product Texture

MUCOSAL DELIVERY

Mucoadhesion is the process by which a drug delivery device is designed to stick to a part of the gut or other mucosae (buccal cavity, nasal, rectal and vaginal), thus delivering drug to a precise site in the body for an extended period. 
 
This gives more effective treatment of some diseases and can also protect drugs from some of the harsh conditions in the body. Mucoadhesive drug delivery systems are used to treat several conditions in the mouth and have been investigated as treatments for stomach ulcers and cancer. The majority of infections affecting man and animals take place or start in mucous membranes. The ability to retain pharmacologically-active agents for extended periods of time on any mucosal epithelium, including those of the nose, mouth, rectum or vagina confers several potential therapeutic advantages.

Transdermal Delivery: Measuring Product Texture

TRANSDERMAL DELIVERY

Transdermal drug delivery as a route for systemic drug administration is currently one of the advancing areas in drug development research.

This is particularly true for the delivery of such drugs as opiate painkillers, birth control, nitroglycerin for the prophylaxis of angina, nicotine for smoking cessation therapy, testosterone for the correction of male hypogonadism. 

The skin route for systemic drug delivery is especially attractive to formulators, as this integument is the most readily accessible organ of the body. Clinicians are increasingly recognising the advantages of controlled continuous intravenous infusion of drugs, such as the avoidance of hepatic metabolism and the maintenance of a constant therapeutic level in the body, that can be obtained by the use of the skin as a portal of drug delivery, without the risks and costs of intravenous therapy.