Food Physical Analysis

MARS iQ Air Bearing Rotational Rheometer

Summary: Measures how ingredients and foods flow

Used for measuring flow (elastic and viscous) behaviour of materials which is extremely useful in product development to predict how a fundamental behaviour will impact food quality. Accessories are suited to all food categories from liquid beverages to solid doughs. This model has built-in simultaneous texture analysis to add more depth to the results.

Chopin Mixolab 2 Universal Dough Characteriser

Summary: Measures how stiff or soft a dough is when it is being mixed, cooked, and cooled

The Mixolab 2 Universal Dough Characteriser is an empirical tester of dough and flour properties. The Mixolab 2 combines flour with controlled amounts of water to determine how long it takes for a dough to develop, how much water the flour can absorb, how stable the dough is and other measures of how stiff or soft the dough is.
 

Perten RVA 4800 Rapid Visco Analyser

Summary: Measures how viscosity of ingredients in water changes with cooking and cooling

RVA is primarily used for understanding the cooking and storage behaviour of starches and starch-containing blends (and the influencing factors) by measuring viscosity as a starchy solution is heated and cooled under steady shear. Until 2018, RVA could only be performed to 95°C but the RVA 4800 has a special compressible cannister that allows heating up to 140°C which yields data closer to industrial processing conditions like retorting or extrusion. As the RVA is essential a temperature- and shear-variable viscometer, it can also be used for high temperature processing of dairy and non-dairy milk products, characterisation of pulse flours, reproducible homogenisation of solutions, and key grain quality tests like Falling Number.

Mecmesin Tensile and Compression Tester

Summary: Measures how hard it is to compress or stretch things

Capable of testing tensile and compressive forces up to 1000 N which are useful for assessing shelf-life of foods like fruits that soften or baked goods that harden with age. This device is also useful for non-food product testing such as fibre or film tensile strength.
 

Stable Micro Systems TA.XTplusC Texture Analyser

Summary: Measures how hard it is to compress or stretch specific foods using specific attachments

The TA.XTplusC is capable of measuring virtually any physical product characteristic such as hardness, fracturability, adhesiveness, gel strength, extensibility of foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, gels, adhesives and other consumer products. This device is essential for product development and quality testing.

Lamy Rheology B-One Plus LR Rotational Viscometers

Summary: Measures how ‘thick’ liquids are

An extremely user-friendly rotational viscometer that is ideal for measuring the thickening (viscosification) ability of protein and polysaccharide food additives. Probes are modular and are suitable for low (e.g. beverages) to very high (e.g. honey) viscosity materials.

Other analyses

• Colourimetry
• Water Activity
• Moisture and ashing analyses