Measure the texture of gels and films

The measurement of mechanical properties in gels and films holds paramount significance across a spectrum of industries, including food manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical, and cosmetics. Properties such as gel strength, elasticity, and rupture force play pivotal roles in the development of diverse products, ranging from coronary stents to wound dressings, lubricants, contact lenses, and suppositories.

Gel-forming characteristics are also indispensable in crafting soft gel capsules, bacterial growth media, toothpaste, creams, and pastilles, allowing for precise modification of product consistency.

Edible films, on the other hand, represent a rapidly evolving field with potential applications in simplifying packaging materials for food products, carrying active additives or functional ingredients, and improving the mechanical integrity of items like nuts, beans, and fruits. In addition, these films can be strategically placed between food components to prevent mass transfer-related quality deterioration in products like pies, sandwiches, pizza, and confectionery. 

In all these applications, Texture Analysers serve as indispensable tools for assessing the essential physical properties required for product development and quality assurance that optimises the performance, structural integrity, and functionality.

Texture Analysers can be essential tools when working with gels and films to determine their physical properties. Here's how they can be applied:

• Quality control: Regular testing ensures that each batch of gels or films meets the stipulated mechanical property benchmarks, guaranteeing consistent product quality.
• Claims substantiation: If gels or films come with specific claims like "ultra-strong," a Texture Analyser can provide empirical data to back up these assertions.
• Swelling behaviour: For hydrogels or other absorbent materials, understanding how much liquid a gel can take up and how it affects its mechanical properties is crucial.
• Shelf life studies: Over time, the textural properties of gels or films might change. Regular texture analysis can help monitor these changes.

Incorporating a Texture Analyser into the development and manufacturing processes for gels and films equips professionals with a wealth of empirical data. This data not only ensures that products are consistent and high quality but also that they are optimised for their intended function, be it in food, pharmaceuticals, personal care, or any other industry.

Texture Analysers are adept at quantifying a multitude of mechanical properties of materials, including gels and films. For these materials, a Texture Analyser can be employed to measure:

Having access to these mechanical property measurements is invaluable for the development and quality control of gels and films, especially in industries like pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, and materials science. They help in ensuring product consistency, performance, and safety.

Whether its providing the solution for 3M to file their for gel adhesive compositions, allowing Tampere University to investigate bioplastic film creation using food by-products or offering a method for LG Electronics to characterise their transparent conductive plastic film for electronic devices, a Texture Analyser is adaptable and flexible in its application to measure the bespoke mechanical properties of your product and then enable its quality to be controlled in your manufacturing to guarantee consistency and customer satisfaction.

With deep expertise in gel and film texture analysis, we’re well equipped to support innovation in this sector – just ask our customers.

A wide range of probes and attachments can be integrated with our instruments, allowing testing to be precisely adapted to the material or product under evaluation. Applications include tensile testsused to compare film elongation, a penetration test used to assess gel rupture forces or a burst test employed to measure film resilience and relaxation properties. 

The Texture Analyser is a well-established tool in the measurement of gel strength for ISO, AOAC and GMIA standard methods. Over the years we have collaborated with leading scientists and organisations to develop such attachments as the Film Support Rig for biaxial tensile measurement whilst tensile grips provide the standard approach for the uniaxial tensile assessment of films.

The examples provided illustrate a selection of specialised attachments and commonly performed measurements within this application area. This list is not exhaustive; a wide range of additional options are available for the testing of gels and films. All instruments in the Texture Analyser range can be used to perform the tests described.

Exponent Connect software includes a comprehensive range of test methods for gel and film products, all instantly accessible at the click of a button. We streamline your texture testing process, ensuring faster access to methods and ready-to-use analysis files for your product properties.

Gels and films have a broad range of applications, from food to pharmaceuticals to personal care products. Here are some of the newer ingredient and product ideas in gel and film research, development, and production and a typical academic reference to show how the Texture Analyser has already being applied: