Confectionery Testing Attachments

Any of the texture analyser range can be used for the product tests listed below.

A selection of special attachments and typical measurements are also shown which are commonly used in this application area. However, this does not show the complete range of attachments available for the testing of confectionery products. Test procedures include: compression, puncture/penetration, tension, fracture/bending, extrusion, cutting/shearing.

Typical measurements include:

Firmness/Hardness: chocolate, chewing gum dragees, gelled confectionery, nougat, toffee, fondant, halva, marzipan
Stickiness: boiled sweets, gummie bears, chewing gum, syrup, icings, toffee
Stringiness (tailing/stringing of a product when a probe is pulled away): syrup, honey, caramel
Tensile Strength: confectionery leathers, chewing gum rope
Coating Crispness: sugar-coated nuts, chewing gum dragees
Break Strength/Snapping Force: snack bars, chocolate, cereal bars
Flexibility: chewing gum sticks/rope, liqourice
Gel Strength: gelled confectionery
Fracturability: hard-boiled candies
Springiness: marshmallows


Confectionery Holder Allows complete penetration and withdrawal of the sample, through holes in the plates, whilst avoiding sample slippage, movement or lifting.	Three Point Bend Rig Used for the assessment of break strength of e.g. chocolate, biscuits, cereal bars.	Tensile Grips Can be used to measure tensile strength or flexibility of e.g. chewing gum sticks, liquorice.

Self-tightening Roller Grips Used to measure tensile strength of e.g. confectionery leathers, where slippage at the grip face may be a problem.	Craft Knife Blade Can be used to assess coating crispness of chewing gum dragees, cutting force of e.g. liquorice, caramel.	Back Extrusion Cell Can be used to assess stickiness and stringiness of e.g. icings, caramel, honey.

Film Support Rig This rig allows testing of thin, film- like products to measure the burst strength, resilience and relaxation properties.	Flexible Substrate Clamp Allows the measurement of 'wrapper release' (the adhesion of packaging material to a confectionery sample).	Acoustic Emission and Video Playback Allow the collection of acoustic data during a test and the synchronisation of force data with video frames - of particular interest for the testing of brittle products.

Typical measurements include:

Hardness: chocolate ice coatings, ice juice coatings, ice cream, frozen yoghurt, sorbet

Firmness of inclusions (or loss of firmness due to moisture uptake): meringue pieces, praline

Extended 2mm cylinder probe

Knife Blade

A small diameter cylinder probe
(extended) can be used to e.g.
assess ice juice coating and
internal ice cream hardness.

A standard knife blade may be used
to assess the force required to cut
through chocolate coating and the
underlying ice cream of a choc ice.

Application Studies are available for the testing of CONFECTIONERY products using the TA.XT2i, TA.XTplus, TA.XTExpress or TA.HDplus texture analysers.

In addition, scientific papers have been published which reference the use of the TA.XT2i/TA.XTplus/TA.HDplus in the testing of CONFECTIONERY products.
Click here for paper titles and citation details.

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