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We develop and manufacture a diverse range of food products and are exploring new approaches to translate laboratory-quality measurements into rapid, practical tools for routine production use.
Jelly texture is a critical quality attribute in food products containing particulates, influencing product structure, appearance, handling, and overall consistency. Jelly texture may vary because of differences in raw materials, ingredient dosing, water characteristics, mixing conditions, temperature, holding time, filling, cooling, or other processing factors.
Laboratory texture analysis can provide objective measurements of properties such as gel strength, hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, and resilience. However, current reference methods may require separation of the jelly from the particulates, controlled sample preparation, temperature conditioning, and specialized equipment. The complete procedure can extend across one or more days and is therefore unsuitable for routine manufacturing quality control.
This creates an opportunity for rapid technologies that directly assess jelly texture or measure a scientifically supported indicator capable of predicting final jelly performance.
We are looking for rapid measurement technologies to objectively assess one or more relevant characteristics of jelly texture in food products containing particulates with accuracy, speed, simplicity, and suitability for manufacturing use at-line, near-line, offline, online, or inline
Solutions may directly measure the finished jelly, assess the product with minimal component separation, or measure a physical, chemical, or structural indicator that predicts final jelly texture. Proposed indirect methods should demonstrate a scientifically supported relationship between the measured indicator and the texture or quality classification of the finished product. Relevant indicators may include physical, chemical, rheological, or structural characteristics associated with the gelation system, including those related to hydrocolloids, starches, proteins, or other ingredients that contribute to final jelly formation and texture.
Although an acceptable solution is not required to fully reproduce every parameter generated by a complete laboratory texture profile analysis, technologies should at least be capable of determining whether jelly texture falls within or outside the intended quality range.
- Methods that monitor relevant physical, chemical, structural, or optical indicators during jelly formation to predict the jelly quality in the finished product
- Rapid mechanical or rheological methods for measuring jelly texture, e.g., gel strength, elasticity, hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, and resilience or other properties associated with gel performance
- Provides a more efficient, objective, and repeatable numerical measure of a relevant texture characteristic or a scientifically supported indicator of final jelly performance than traditional compression texture analyzer methods
- Delivers an actionable result within 5 minutes once the sample is ready for routine assessment
- Can be operated consistently with minimal steps and is suitable for, or adaptable to, routine use in a food-manufacturing environment
- Commercially available or supported by a clear pathway to an industrial proof of concept
- Assesses multiple relevant characteristics, such as firmness, hardness, cohesiveness, elasticity, adhesion, resilience, or free water
- Automatically classifies samples against established quality ranges
- Integrates with manufacturing, quality, process-control, or data-management systems
- Predicts final jelly texture before cooling or setting is complete
- Provides results early enough to support process adjustment or product-quality decisions
- Supports inline or online measurement of a relevant characteristic or indicator associated with final jelly texture
- Technologies that do not require extensive separation of the jelly and particulates before every measurement
- Laboratory-only technologies without a credible pathway to routine manufacturing use
- Methods requiring overnight or multi-day conditioning for routine production decisions
- Traditional laboratory texture analysis without a meaningful reduction in preparation or analysis time
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