The Kramer Shear Cell is the single most successful test fixture used for food texture measurement as it faithfully reproduces what happens when a product is consumed.

The fixture compresses, shears and extrudes the sample to measure firmness, fibrousness, tenderness and similar mouth feel properties of many food products. The objective measurements made are very closely related to the human experience of chewing foods.

The use of the Kramer Shear Cell means a larger sample size can be tested, which helps to minimize standard deviations in test results, common to tests measuring fewer samples. Particulates, in particular can be easily assessed using this fixture to measure them in bulk rather than more awkwardly in single form.

The CS-1 test cell consists of a sample holder, slotted lid, and movable blades. The sample holder measures 2.6 inches wide by 2.6 inches long by 2.5 inches deep, and holds a volume of 16.9 cubic inches. The cell lid has 10 slots, which accommodate the 10 movable blades (1/8 inches thick). The movable blades are attached to the Force Transducer or Load Cell and are forced through the test sample producing a force proportional to the sum of both the shear and compression failure point of the test sample.

Contents and Summary

    * Sample holder
    * Slotted lid
    * Moveable blades

      Must be used in conjunction with either:

          -FTC large scale accessory table (432-043) or

          -TMS standard fixture table (432-243)

          -FTC dovetail top bracket

    * This fixture is only suitable for use with 1000N and 2500N load cells.

Applications

    * Quality and gristle content of ground beef
    * Measure crispness of biscuit inclusions
    * Curd firmness to assess bulk properties
    * Moisture related toughness of croutons
    * Test roasted vegetables to optain batch optimization
    * Measure the effect of cooking conditions on rice texture