Lloyd Instruments has launched a new and improved range of food fixtures for use with the Lloyd TA1 and LS texture analyzer machines.
The new fixtures cover a broad range of food industry needs, including chewiness, crispness, adhesiveness, extensibility and cohesiveness, and their variety makes it possible to test individual samples or bulk quantities. The range now includes:
- New improved base table assembly with an integral drip tray so the whole item fits directly over the anchor pin, making it easy to remove from the machine to empty overspill, and four adjusting points to improve insert and jig alignment.
- New universal pot holder for the gel pots, forward extrusion, back extrusion and spreadability jig. The new pot holder provides commonality for users of more than one fixture so only one holder is required.
- New NEXYGENPlus 3.0 software utility to assist with fixture alignment, safety limits and datum features for grips (Kramer, Ottawa, Warner-Bratzler, back extrusion and forward extrusion)
The food fixtures have application across the industry including:
• Bakery
Test your bakery ingredients through to finished product. The effect of ingredients from different suppliers, baking times and recipes on the finished product can be rapidly measured and captured.
• Dairy
Compare the texture of new formulations to existing proven products. Test the spreadability of butter and spreads, the viscosity of yoghurts and sauces or compare the texture between full fat and low fat cheese. Our new probes offer you a world of opportunities when it comes to high quality and reliable testing and measuring of dairy products.
• Cereals
Measure crispiness, chewiness, resistance to bending and softening time when immersed with milk. Our wide variety of fixtures makes it possible for you to test individual pieces or samples or in bulk.
• Fruit and vegetables
Test the physical properties of fruit and vegetables and how they change during ripening. Test for stiffness, hardness and toughness or find out what effect storage conditions have on your products.
• Gels
Measure Bloom strength in gels used for food, cosmetics or pharmaceuticals. Use our predefined software in NEXYGENPlus together with our flexible gel probes or develop your own test method based on specific point measurement.
• Meat, poultry and fish
Measure the tenderness, toughness and cutting strength of your meat. Novel measure of meat tenderness recently developed is the rapid slice shear force test. This method has advantages over the traditional Warner-Bratzler shear test for steak as it can be done immediately post-cooking. Shearing of canned and re-formed meats are easily tested. Our measurement instruments will save you time and money when testing your meat, poultry or fish.
• Pasta and rice
Measure the firmness, stickiness, elasticity and bending strength on cooked or uncooked pasta, noodles or rice. Our unique spaghetti compression fixture measures the deflection of cooked spaghetti whilst under a fixed load for a specific time. This method is very effective in defining the correct cooking time.
• Pet food
Test the hardness and consistency of pet foods such as biscuits and canned pet food.
For more information, download the new Food Fixture Catalogue and Texture Analysis Catalogue at www.lloyd-instruments.co.uk