31.01.2023 by Aileen Sammler

How Dynamic-Mechanical Analysis Can be Used for Product Improvement in the Food Sector

Gummy Bears – Colorful and Demanding in Their Dynamic-Mechanical Properties 

Dynamic-mechanical analysis (DMA) is an indispensable method for the determination of the viscoelastic properties of mostly polymer materials. However, it is also used for a variety of other applications, such as in the food and cosmetics sectors.

Learn today, how Dynamic-mechanical Analysis can be used for product improvement and adjustment in the food sector:

Fruit gummies seem to exhibit a broad spectrum of elastic properties, varying between soft and hard and are also strongly influenced by temperature. Dynamic-mechanical analysis is the method of choice for the characterization of visco-elastic properties.

What Mechanical Behaviors Do Fruit Gummies from Different Climatic Zones Exhibit?
 

Gummy bears are delicious and taste good throughout the year, be it in summer or winter, in the desert at 50°C or at the North Pole at -40°C. It would be unpleasant if these “sweet treats” were to stick together at high temperatures and form a sort of cohesive, sticky mass – or if a tooth were to fall by the wayside when biting on them in the cold.

Dynamic-mechanical analysis is employed for the characterization of visco-elastic properties. When coupled to a humidity chamber, influences of drying and humidification on their mechanical behavior can also be recorded.
 

Read our application note and learn more about:
  • The mechanical behavior of fruit gummies from different climatic zones and continents
  • The production of gelatin, its use and function in food products, and possible plant-based substitutes for vegan fruit gummies
  • The measurement of dynamic-mechanical behavior at different temperatures and humidity levels using the NETZSCH DMA GABO Eplexor® connected to a Hygromator
  • The differences in measurement results for gummy bears containing gelatin compared to vegan fruit gummies
  • The influence of temperature changes on bite strength and flavor intensity
  • Using dynamic mechanical analysis for the evaluation of consumer-relevant product properties of foods such as fruit gummies, thus serving for product improvement and new development as well as for the development of additional fruit gummy types, especially with new binders for vegan customers

For the development of further fruit gummy types, especially with new binders for vegan customers, dynamic-mechanical analysis offers the capability to record both thermal and mechanical properties in the laboratory in advance, and thus to launch the products onto the market faster and in a more targeted manner. Furthermore, storage and processing conditions along with the parameters of moisture and temperature can be simulated by means of DMA measurements.

Learn more about the basics and application areas of Dynamic-Mechanical Analysis: 

Register for our webinar on February, 14!

The webinar is an introduction to the DMA method and is primarily aimed at beginners. Content of this webinar is the explanation of the viscoelastic material behavior, the basics of the DMA measurement technique of DMA along with selected material properties based on application examples.