Consumer products succeed in the marketplace in part because their "textural characteristics" are pleasing to customers. This is certainly true with food products but it also applies to cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, packaging, industrial materials and even adhesive type materials. Texture analysis is primarily concerned with the evaluation of mechanical characteristics where a material is subjected to a controlled force from which a deformation curve of its response is generated. These mechanical characteristics in food can be further sub-divided into primary and secondary sensory characteristics which have proven to be correlated to sensory perception.
Applications: Quality Control, Product Development and R & D

Primary Characteristics:

PARAMETER SENSORIAL DEFINITION INSTRUMENTAL DEFINITION

HARDNESS Force required to compress a food between molars Peak force of the first compression cycle.
Defined as force necessary to attain given deformation
SPRINGINESS Rate at which a deformed material goes back to its Height that the food recovers during the
undeformed condition after deforming force is removed time that elapses between the end of the
first bite and the start of the second bite
ADHESIVENESS The work necessary to overcome the attractive forces The negative area for the first bite,
between the surface of the food and the surface of representing the work necessary to pull
other materials with which the food comes into contact compressing probe away from sample
(e.g. tongue, teeth, palate). Work required to pull
food away from a surface

COHESIVENESS The strength of internal bonds making up the body of The ratio of positive force during the second
the product (greater the value the greater the to that of the first compression cycle (downward
cohesiveness) strokes only)

Secondary Characteristics:

PARAMETER SENSORIAL DEFINITION INSTRUMENTAL DEFINITION


BRITTLENESS Force at which a material fractures. Related to the The first significant break in the first
(Fracture force) primary parameters of hardness and cohesiveness, compression cycle.
where brittle materials have low cohesiveness. Not
all foods fracture and thus value may relate to
hardness if only single peak is present. Brittle
foods are never adhesive.
GUMMINESS Energy required to disintegrate a SEMI-SOLID food Calculated parameter:
product to a state ready for swallowing. Related to Product of Hardness x Cohesiveness
foods with low hardness levels.
CHEWINESS Energy required to chew a SOLID food product to a Calculated Parameter:
state where it is ready for swallowing. attribute is Product of Gumminess x Springiness
difficult to quantify precisely due to complexities (essentially primary parameters of
of mastication (shear, compression, tearing and Hardness x Cohesiveness x Springiness)
penetration).

Properties Measured: Ripeness, Fracture Force, Yield Point Elasticity, Spreadability Hardness, Tackiness Cohesiveness, Consistency Burst Strength, Relaxation Breaking Point, Pliability Gel Strength, Adhesiveness Apparent Modulus, Chewiness, Gumminess The CT3 Texture Analyzer utilizes uni-axial compression and tension forces in combination with a selection from our list of probes, grips and fixtures to test a wide variety of food, personal care products and industrial materials. Most tests desire to imitate conditions imposed on these products during manufacture, handling, and consumption or use. Characterizing the physical properties of your products in such an analytical manner provides "real life" insight and can be invaluable toward maintaining consistent, high quality manufacturing while minimizing cost.

Standard Test Modes
Normal Test:
a single compression cycle

Hold Time Test:
compress and hold

Cycle Count Test:
compress multiple times

Bloom Test:
gelatin bloom strength test

TPA Test:
texture profile analysis

Tension Test:
tensile testing

Static Load Test:
calibration check

Additional Load Cells - Seven measurement ranges up to 50kg

Tension Mode: provides tensile testing capability
Texture Loader: Texture Loader software allows adding up to ten custom tests to suit your everyday applications

Optional Accessories:

The CT3 has a wide variety of probes, fixtures and jigs which enable it to be very versatile. Brookfield can also custom design a fixture and probe for most applications.

Choice of Base Table
TexturePro CT Software - Collect data and perform detailed data analysis with real-time graphic plotting.
Gelatin Bath System for sample conditioning
Bloom Jar - industry approved
Temperature Probe
Bubble Level
Calibration Weight Set

TexturePro CT Software allows you to easily create custom reports and graphs right from the menu screen.
¦ Sample identification set-up screen helps new operators quickly get started; test fields outline a variety of parameters
¦ Intuitive set up for test methods and database file structures in a single window
¦ Data is captured as a graph and stored in tabular database format
¦ Advanced data analysis with built-in parameter calculations such as springiness, chewiness, hardness and much more!

MODEL Load Range/Resolution*
CT3-100 0-100g/0.01g
CT3-1000 0-1000g/0.1g
CT3-1500 0-1500g/0.2g
CT3-4500 0-4500g/0.5g
CT3-10kg 1-10000g/1.0g
CT3-25kg 1-25000g/2.0g
CT3-50kg 2-50000g/5.0g

SPECIFICATIONS:

SPEED:
Range: 0.01-0.1mm/s (increments 0.01mm/s)
0.1 - 10mm/s (increments 0.1mm/s)
Accuracy: ±0.1% of setpoint
POSITION:
Range: 0-100mm
Resolution: 0.01mm
Accuracy: 0.1mm

CT3 systems are configured by components. Every system must include at least one of each required item. Additional
optional items should be selected to match application requirements. TELL YOUR SALES REPRESENTATIVE WHICH COMPONENTS YOU REQUIRE SO A COMPLETE AND COMPREHENSIVE QUOTATION CAN BE GENERATED FOR YOU

REQUIRED ITEMS: OPTIONAL ITEMS: GELATIN BLOOM TESTING:
-CT3 Texture Analyzer - select load cell -Probe Kit -Bloom Bottles
-Base Table - Rotary or Fixture Base Table -Conical, Cylindrical, Spherical -Water Bath System for gelatin conditioning
-Probe Kit , Individual Probe and/or Probes, Miscellaneous Probes
Accessory Fixture -Calibration Weight Set to match load cell
-Texture Pro CT Software