The Packaging Research Revolution: Biodegradable Polymer Films

The majority of countries worldwide are making an effort to reduce their mark on the planet, and cutting down on plastics is an obvious place to start because of the availability of alternatives, and due to the large amount of waste they leave behind.

One of the largest sources of single use plastics is packaging. There is a large amount of academic and industrial research into this area. Stable Micro Systems equipment is a regular feature of publications due to the need for mechanical property analysis; one of the drawbacks of biodegradable polymers is their reduced structural integrity. Consequently, Texture Analysers are necessary to perform tests for both R&D and quality control, once the product has reached production. The following are a selection of recent publications into this interesting and important field, specifically those focussing on polymer films.

Texture Analysis: Latest Meat Applications

Collagen is the major fibrillar component and protein in both human and animal connective tissue. It is applied in medical preparations such as wound dressings and tissue engineering.

Meat and poultry production industries result in large amounts of organic waste, rich in collagen. Scientists from the University of Oslo have been investigating collagen from turkey tendons as a promising sustainable biomaterial for pharmaceutical use. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterise pepsin soluble collagen from turkey tendons.

Tribology testing continues on the Texture Analyser

Tribology, the study of friction, lubrication, and wear between two sliding surfaces, has been used for decades by the chemical and material engineering industries to determine the friction behaviour of various substances, such as lubricating oils and rubber. 

Practical applications of this testing are relatively straightforward: lubricants that provide low amounts of friction between sliding steel surfaces are useful to reduce friction from surface-surface contact, such as in mechanical pivots or sliding pistons.

Texture Analysis in Research: Insects as Food

With 9.6 billion people forecast to inhabit the planet in 2050, scientists have warned that population growth could lead to an unsustainable increase in food production if consumption patterns persist. 

Considering the rising world population and the scarce water and land resources, it is extremely important to find new and sustainable ways to produce food. Edible insects are particularly interesting due to their high protein content and lower environmental impacts compared to traditional livestock. They have been promoted as a source of nutrients able to contribute to the increasing need of animal protein in an environmentally sustainable fashion. In general, insects contain a considerable amount of protein with a well-balanced amino acid spectrum, a high amount of lipid, and a noteworthy content of micronutrients such as copper, zinc, and iron.

Testing Clean Label Personal Care & Cosmetic Products

It started with food. Now the “clean label” movement is influencing the development of personal care and cosmetic formulations. There is a lot of confusion of what exactly constitutes a “clean label” product. However, it is generally accepted that “clean label” means using as few ingredients as possible and using only ingredients that consumers recognise.

What’s behind the trend? Consumers are demanding products that they perceive are better for their bodies, families, and the environment. Market research shows consumers now rank natural ingredients and environmental impact ahead of brand

Texture Analysis in Research: Testing Skin

The study of the mechanical properties of soft tissues is valuable to evaluate the progress of diseases such as tumours and treatment effects, to simulate medical surgeries, to understand the aging process and to evaluate the efficacy of cosmetic products. Yet again, the Texture Analyser has proven to be an invaluable tool in the measurement of such samples.

Recently researchers from the National University of Colombia have investigated the influence of indentation test factors on the mechanical response of skin. 

Making up for Texture in Egg Free Food

The rise in demand for a plant based diet brings with it a wide range of challenges. However, there is one ingredient in particular that can cause big problems in its absence: the humble egg. 

Eggs play an important part in a lot of cooking because they have so many interesting functions. They can add shine to the top of pies, emulsify sauces, aerate chocolate mousse and add moisture and fat to cake.

Texture Analysis in Research: Latest Medical Applications

Scientists from the Thomas More University of Applied Sciences have been researching the use of a Texture Analyser to objectively quantify foot orthoses.

Foot orthoses alter the kinematics and kinetics of gait. With increasing importance of evidence-based practice and with the permanent development of subtractive manufacturing and introduction of additive manufacturing, there is a growing need for the quantification of orthoses parameters. This paper describes a measurement method and protocol to quantify different parameters of a foot orthosis.