Researchers have developed a method to analyse the physical characteristics of a potato chip at four stages of eating — from the first bite to the final swallow — to help formulate a tastier low-fat snack. The results of the research have been reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
While munching on low-fat potato chips might reduce the guilt compared with full-fat versions, many people don’t find the texture as appealing. Cutting fat in potato chips usually involves reducing the vegetable oil content but it’s the oil that helps give the product its characteristic crunch, taste and mouthfeel.
According to Kantar Worldpanel, the food-to-go market as a whole rose to be worth £25bn in the year preceding September 2018, and food manufacturers have kept up with rising demand with a stream of innovation that fits into busy, on-the-go schedules. Products are easy to carry around and made simple to eat in single servings, often with forks, spoons or chopsticks included in the packaging. This trend has arrived at the same time as an eco-friendlier generation, with increased interest in plant-based food and dislike of single-use plastics, so products with a high meat content and traditional plastic containers will likely be snubbed in the supermarket.
At the University of Milan scientists have been researching 3D printed multi-compartment capsular devices for two-pulse oral drug delivery.
The resistance to deformation of printed and moulded capsular devices was measured under compression using their TA.XTplus Texture Analyser.
This study helped to develop delivery methods for enhanced customisation of drug combinations.
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The meat substitutes market size is estimated to be worth 9.25 Billion USD by 2023.
Consuming meat for many is a part of their daily life, but the majority are opting for a healthy version by switching to non-meat foods for catering to their protein needs.
Avoiding or restricting meat in the diet may be challenging, yet with the nutritional, environmental and health benefits of selecting meat substitutes over meat, this challenge will be worth the effort.
Apricots have a short storage life principally caused by a rapid softening, which increases the sensitivity of the fruit to mechanical damage, and to the development of fungal diseases.
The current methods to assess fruit firmness give limited information on the evolution and the mechanisms of softening.
Due to consumers now hating plastic, waste companies are being forced to find alternative solutions.
The holy grail of packaging development is now to present a recyclable, compostable, biodegradable and environmentally friendly solution which does not compromise on packaging integrity and desired performance.
Researchers from the National University of Trujillo have been investigating biodegradable foam trays based on starches isolated from different Peruvian species.
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| Universal Sample Clamp |
When penetrating, extruding or cutting a sample during a test it is common that the sample sometimes needs to be held down manually in order to avoid it being lifted up with the withdrawing probe or fixture.
The penetration of a margarine sample, the cutting of a piece of meat or the backward extrusion of a thick moisturising cream are typical examples when this may occur.
The resulting measured forces of this occurrence will be displaying the weight of the material (and/or its supporting packaging) being lifted rather than the forces necessary to withdraw from the sample. If lifting of the sample occurs the graph that is obtained will not therefore reflect the entire true textural profile of the sample.
Stable Micro Systems Texture Analysers are used frequently in patent applications to substantiate claims and provide measured evidence associated with the developed product. Here are a few recent examples within the field of Personal Care Products…
A patent has recently been released by Procter and Gamble, entitled ‘Skin Care Composition’.
It covers a personal care composition incorporating a dimethicone fluid for the cosmetic treatment of skin that provides an improved moisturisation signal to a user and exhibits good feel properties.
The researchers used their TA.XT2i Texture Analyser to perform a tack test on a film formed from the composition.
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Researchers have developed a method to analyse the physical characteristics of a potato chip at four stages of eating — from the first bite to the final swallow — to help formulate a tastier low-fat snack. The results of the research have been reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 
