Nov 30 2016
With lasagna being a hugely popular dish both as supermarket ready meals and in industrial meals for pubs and cafes, the texture of the final product is extremely important. The stickiness is related to the starch content of the pasta sheet, which in turn is related to the cooking temperature and time. Measuring pasta stickiness with the TA1 texture analyzer from Lloyd Instruments allows these parameters to be optimized.
The cooked pasta sheet is mounted between the TA1 base table and a rectangular plate containing a rectangular hole. The force required to withdraw the probe is then measured. The probe may be held in contact with the pasta sheet for a predefined time before withdrawal, if required.
The tests can be fully configured and controlled using the NEXYGENPlus texture analysis software. In addition to a comprehensive library of industry-standard texture analysis (including stickiness), the popular NEXYGENPlus software features an enormous range of other facilities.
These include user-defined test creation, data collection, reporting and exploring of test data, video and still picture capture, test data security and audit trails as well as test automation and customization.
Due to the large working area on the TA1 and the many abilities offered by the NEXYGENPlus software, the texture analyzer can also perform packaging testing on food packaging as well as a wide range of other packaging materials.
Test data can quickly and easily be imported directly into Excel or Word using own corporate templates or templates provided by NEXYGENPlus.
Multi-lingual and multi-unit display options are supplied as a standard enabling English, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Polish, Russian, German, French, Danish and Chinese users to operate the texture analyzer in their local language.
Lloyd Instruments – Measuring Up to Your Standards
AMETEK Sensors, Test & Calibration (STC) offers a comprehensive range of force measuring and materials testing equipment under the brands Chatillon and Lloyd Instruments. Test equipment from AMETEK STC has been used to understand and improve the textural qualities of food and pharmaceuticals for several decades.
AMETEK STC is a division of AMETEK, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices.