CTX TEXTURE APPLICATION NOTE:

Vegetable Burger

TEST PRINCIPLE
Evaluation of the Texture of vegetable burgers using the junior multiple punch assembly (TA-JMPA)
fixture

BACKGROUND
The penetration test used in this application measures the firmness of vegetable burgers and can be used as
a QC and R&D tool to optimize the texture of the product and ensure consistency in production. Using the
multiple punch assembly, the burger can be tested simultaneously at multiple sites giving an average
measurement of the firmness of the burger

Junior Multiple Probe Assembly

METHOD

EQUIPMENT

CTX wit 5Kg Loadcell

TA-JMPA
TA-BT-KIT Fixture Base Table
Texture Pro CT Software

SETTINGS

Test type: Compression

Pre-Test Speed: 1.0 mm/s
Test Speed: 1.0 mm/s
Post-Test Speed: 1.0 mm/s
Target Type: Deformation
Target value: 20 mm
Trigger Load: 5g

SETTING THE STANDARDS in Texture Testing

 TEXTURE
TEXTUREAPPLICATION
APPLICATIONNOTE:
NOTE:
ADHESIVE
Vegetable TAPE
Burger

SAMPLE PREPARATION
1. Remove the sample from the place of storage just prior to testing.

2. Ensure that the sample surface is level

PROCEDURE
1. Attach the multiple probe to the probe shaft of the instrument

2. Place the fixture base table onto the base of the instrument and loosely tighten the thumb nuts to enable
some degree of mobility

3. Fix the holed-plate onto the fixture base table using the thumb screws and adjust the ring of the plate to the
open hole position

4. Lower the arm of the instrument and align the marking on the multiple probe to that on the holed plate by
rotating the multiple probe and re-positioning the base table such that the probe can easily penetrate the
holed plate without coming into contact with the edges.

5. Once alignment is complete, tighten the thumb nuts of the fixture base table and probe to prevent further
movement.

6. Raise the probe to provide room for placing the sample

7. Place the burger onto the holes plate and lower the probe to a few millimeters from the sample surface. This
will be the starting position for the test

8. Commence the test

9. At the end of the test, raise the probe and wipe it clean before placing a fresh burger for testing.

10. Click on the “Return to Start” button on the software and the probe should return to the starting position

11. Commence the test

Note:
The burgers should be of equal weight and size in order to ensure the accuracy and repeatability of the test and to be
able to make comparisons

SETTING THE STANDARDS in Texture Testing

 TEXTURE
TEXTUREAPPLICATION
APPLICATIONNOTE:
NOTE:
ADHESIVE
Vegetable TAPE
Burger
RESULTS
Brookfield Engineering Labs

1200 Hardness/ Tenderness

1000

800

600
Load (g)

400

200

-200

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Time (s)

Figure 1: The Load/Time graph for the force to penetrate a vegetable burger using the
junior multiple punch assembly fixture
The maximum peak force is a measure of sample firmness/tenderness; the higher the peak force, the firmer
the burger
Brookfield Engineering Labs

1200

1000

800

600
Load (g)

Work
400

200

-200

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Distance (mm)

Figure 1: The Load/Distance graph showing the work done to penetrate a vegetable burger
using the junior multiple punch assembly fixture
The work done is the area under the graph from the start of the test to the target distance of 20 mm.

SETTING THE STANDARDS in Texture Testing

 TEXTURE APPLICATION NOTE:
Vegetable Burger

OBSERVATIONS
At the start of the test, the multiple probe approaches the sample surfaces at a pre-test speed of 1 mm/s. When a
trigger force of 5 g has been detected at the sample surface the probe proceeds to compress and penetrate the
sample at a test speed of 1mm/s over a target distance of 20 mm. During this time force is seen to rise as the sample
is deformed and then level off as penetration begins and progresses.
When the target distance has been reached (20 mm in this test), the probe begins to withdraw from the sample, seen
by the rapid drop in load values. The peak value on the graph is then a measure of sample firmness over the test
distance of 20mm.

The table below summarises the average results taken from three tests:

Sample Hardness (g) Adhesive Force (g)

Vegetable Burgers 1191.8 ± 76.7 148.19 ± 26.02