TWI770413B - Measurement apparatus for dough and method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a measurement apparatus for dough, which includes a board, a restriction member and a pressing member. The pressing member comprises a carrying surface for carrying a weight member and a pressing head extending oppositely from the carrying surface. The pressing head is shaped and sized to correspond to a measurement space. The pressing head can be at least partially received in the measurement space to press a sample on the board.

Description

Measuring device for dough and method of use

The present disclosure relates to a measuring device, especially a measuring device for edible dough and a method of using the same, so as to obtain data related to the texture of the dough.

Food texture has been widely used in food physical analysis and evaluation to represent the organizational state and taste of food. Through the evaluation and testing of food texture characteristics, it helps to improve product design and production process, raw material or formula adjustment, control storage stability and product quality, new product development, and product positioning and business competition.

There are two methods for evaluating food texture. The first is the sensory analysis method, which uses the human body's sensory observation and response in series to generate the tactile sensation of muscle contraction and force changes through the process of food taking and ingestion, and then evaluate the texture characteristics of the product. This method is a subjective judgment. Due to the differences in response perception among human individuals, it is difficult to obtain accurate and reproducible results. Another method is to use instruments to measure the deformation of food and raw materials under the action of force, analyze the mechanical behavior of the sample, and obtain the force and displacement parameters as indicators of food texture characteristics, which is an objective analysis method. At present, the texture analyzer has been widely used in the field of food research. Its equipment components include a host, a computer and various probes. The host is composed of a base, a transmission system and a sensor. The operation is controlled by a computer program, through a special Use software components to calculate and collect experimental data to obtain deformation, time, force values and test maps to evaluate food texture characteristics.

Since the texture analyzer contains sensors and data acquisition systems, it must be operated and used in laboratory environments such as specific power and space requirements, and is not suitable for movement and portability. The known hand-held hardness tester has the advantages of being convenient to carry and being able to measure on-line immediately. However, the hand-held hardness testers for food and chemical materials have the disadvantages of small probe area, limited measurement range, and suitable for specific samples, and are not suitable for dough measurement.

Therefore, there is a need to develop a measuring device for dough that does not have the limitations of the use of electronic measuring devices.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a measuring device for dough, comprising: a plate including a bearing surface for carrying an object to be measured; a limiting member for seating on the plate and defining a relationship with the plate an accommodating space, the accommodating space is used for accommodating the object to be tested; and a pressing part including a bearing surface for carrying a gravity part and a pressing head extending in the opposite direction from the bearing surface, the pressing part The indenter is configured to have a shape and size matching the accommodating space, so that the pressing member can be at least partially accommodated in the accommodating space to compress the object to be tested.

In a specific embodiment, the plate is formed with a plurality of holes extending through the plate.

In one embodiment, the device further includes a base for holding the plate.

In a specific embodiment, each of the plurality of holes has a diameter of 4.00 to 8.00 mm.

In a specific embodiment, the extrusion head is formed with a mark, wherein the mark is used to refer to the Show the relative position of the pressing part and the restricting part.

In a specific embodiment, the extrusion head has an extrusion surface, and the total area of the plurality of holes accounts for 40 to 70.38% of the area of the extrusion surface.

In a specific embodiment, the plurality of holes are in an arrangement of twenty-eight holes, four of which are distributed on an innermost diameter of the arrangement, and sixteen holes are distributed in an innermost diameter of the arrangement. outer diameter. In a specific embodiment, the plurality of holes are in an arrangement of twenty-one holes, wherein one hole is distributed in the center of the array, and thirteen holes are distributed in an outermost diameter of the array. In a specific embodiment, the plurality of holes are an arrangement of forty-eight holes arranged according to a hexagonally defined area, with three holes surrounding the center of the arrangement. In a specific embodiment, the plurality of holes are an arrangement of thirty-seven holes, wherein one hole is distributed in the center of the arrangement, and the diameter of each hole is selected from one of 4.5mm, 5mm and 5.5mm.

Another object of the invention is to provide a measuring method for dough, comprising: placing an object to be measured in the accommodating space; pressing the object to be measured in the accommodating space with the pressing member at an initial position ; and obtaining a first information based on an end position of the pressing member and the aforementioned start position. Wherein, the extrusion part has the bearing surface for carrying the gravity part and the extrusion head extending in the opposite direction from the bearing surface, the extrusion head is configured to have a shape and size matching the accommodating space, so that the extrusion The pressing member may be partially accommodated in the accommodating space to press the object to be tested.

In a specific embodiment, the method further includes removing the pressing member and taking out the pressed test object, and obtaining a second information based at least on the difference between the test object and the pressed test object.

In a specific embodiment, a gravity component is selected from a plurality of gravity components and placed on the bearing surface of the extrusion component, wherein the gravity component is different from other gravity components.

In a specific embodiment, the plate is replaced with another plate formed with a plurality of a hole, wherein the size of the hole of the plate is different from the size of the hole of the other plate.

In a specific embodiment, the plate is replaced with the other plate based on the moisture content of the analyte.

These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be presented in more detail in the following description of the disclosure and in the drawings exemplified by the principles of the disclosure.

10: Measuring device

101: Base

101a: Box

101b: Column

101c: Connecting parts

101d: accommodating space

101e: Shoulder

101f: Threaded hole

101g: Screw

102: Board

102a: Bearing surface

102b: hole

103: Restricted Parts

104: Extrusion Parts

104a: Bearing surface

104b: Extrusion head

104c: Extrusion Surface

104d: Ring

104e:Mark

200: Weight

D: object to be tested

The present disclosure may be further understood with reference to the following drawings and descriptions. Non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples are described with reference to the following figures. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to actual size; the emphasis is on illustrating the structure and principle.

The first figure shows an exploded view of the measuring device of the present disclosure.

The second figure shows a use state of the measuring device (including dough) of the present disclosure.

The third picture A and the third picture B respectively show the first use state and the second use state of the measuring device of the present disclosure, especially the change of the scale is partially displayed.

Figures 4A to 4D show optional replacement parts of the measuring device of the present disclosure.

The disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, and by way of illustration specific example embodiments. However, the claimed subject matter may be embodied in many different forms, and thus the construction of the claimed subject matter covered or claimed is not limited to any example embodiments disclosed in this specification; the example embodiments are merely illustrative. Again, this disclosure is intended to provide a reasonably broad scope for claimed subject matter claimed or covered. Additionally, for example, the claimed subject matter may be embodied as a method, apparatus or system.

The phrase "in one embodiment" used in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same specific embodiment, and the use of "in other (some/some) embodiments" in this specification does not necessarily refer to a different specific embodiment. It is intended, for example, that the claimed subject matter includes combinations of all or part of the exemplary embodiments.

The first figure shows the main components of the measuring device (10) for dough (or dough-like materials) according to the present disclosure, including a base (101), a plate (102), a restricting member (103) and a pressing pressing member (104). The dough referred to in the present disclosure refers to dough or other analytes similar to dough with extended texture.

The base (101) provides the bottom support of the measuring device (10), and includes a frame (101a) and a plurality of columns (101b). These columns (101b) support the frame (101a) at a height, and these columns (101b) can also be connected by connecting parts (101c) to strengthen the structure of the base (101) or adjust the center of gravity. The frame (101a) is formed with an accommodating space (101d), which is configured so that the upper part and the lower part of the frame communicate with each other (not shown in the figure). The accommodating space (101d) of the frame (101a) is used for accommodating the board (102), and the inner side of the frame (101a) is further formed with a shoulder (101e) for supporting the board (102) accommodated in the frame (101a). ). Although the frame (101a) and its accommodating space (101d) are shown as rectangles, they may also be circular or other shapes.

The plate (102) has a bearing surface (102a) for bearing an object to be tested, such as dough. The thickness of the plate (102) should be large enough to withstand the crushing gravity from above without deformation, eg, about 5.2 mm. The shape and size of the plate (102) are appropriately selected so as to be placed in the accommodating space (101d) of the base (101). The plate (102) is formed with a plurality of holes (102b) extending longitudinally through the entire plate (102). When the board (102) is accommodated in the base (101), the hole (102b) communicates with the lower part of the frame (101a). The hole (102b) is configured to receive the portion of the object to be tested which is advanced by pressing, and the related description will be described later. In other embodiments, the holes may be omitted.

In one embodiment, the base (101) further includes a transverse holding means for holding the received board (102). For example, the frame (101a) may be formed with a plurality of threaded holes (101f), which cooperate with corresponding screws (101g) to laterally clamp the plate in the accommodating space (101d). In a possible embodiment, the base (101) may further comprise a longitudinal holding means. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the plate (102) and the frame (101) each have positioning structures that can cooperate with each other.

The restricting part (103) is a container for restricting the movement of the object to be tested. As shown, the restricting member (103) is a tube. The limiting member (103) is placed on the bearing surface (102a) of the board (102) and forms an accommodating space with the bearing surface (102a) as a test chamber for accommodating the object to be tested. The material of the restricting part (103) can be transparent acrylic or stainless steel. The acrylic material is good for observing the measurement, and the stainless steel is good for simulating the progress of the dough in the mechanical equipment. Preferably, the size of the restricting member (103) should be large enough to cover the area where the plurality of holes (102b) of the plate (102) are distributed, so that the holes (102b) communicate with the space defined by the restricting member (103). In one embodiment, the inner diameter of the limiting member (103) is about 43.7 mm. Although not shown, the limiting member (103) can be fixed on the plate (102) via a holding means. For example, means of clamping as previously described, ie a combination of threaded holes and screws, can be applied. Alternatively, in a possible embodiment, the plate (102) may form specific rings or grooves to limit the position of the limiting member (103).

The extrusion part (104) has a bearing surface (104a) and an extrusion head (104b) extending downward from the bearing surface (104a). In one embodiment, the extrusion head (104b) is a column whose diameter is equal to the inner diameter of the restriction member (103), so that the extrusion head (104b) can fit with the restriction member (103). For example, the diameter of the extrusion head (104b) is approximately 43.7 mm. The end of the extrusion head (104b) has an extrusion surface (104c), which is used as a contact surface with the object to be measured during measurement. In one embodiment, the extrusion surface (104c) is a plane. The bearing surface (104a) is substantially a plane for bearing a gravity member (not shown), For example weights. Of course, the gravity member can be in any solid, liquid, or combination thereof. In other words, the gravity member can be placed on the pressing member (104), thereby adjusting the pressing force of the pressing member (104) on the object to be tested.

The pressing member (104) may be provided with a ring (104d) on the periphery of the bearing surface (104a) for limiting the displacement of the gravity member. Although not shown, the ring (104d) may also include a retaining means, like the aforementioned clamping means, namely threaded holes (101f) and screws (101g). Preferably, the gravity member should be properly held on the pressing member (104), so that the gravity member does not tilt or rotate the pressing member (104), and at the same time ensure uniform force on the object to be tested.

In one embodiment, one side of the extrusion head (104b) is provided with an indicia (104e), which may be printed or structurally formed. The mark (104e) is mainly configured to indicate the relative relationship between the pressing member (104) and the restricting member (103). For example, indicia (104e) is a set of longitudinally extending graduations in millimeters. Thereby, the observer can read the initial state and final state of the object to be tested through the scale, and the distance moved by the pressing member (104) relative to the restricting member (103) is used as a reference for the deformation degree of the object to be tested.

The second figure shows that a weight (200) is placed on the pressing member (104), and that part of the pressing head (104b) is inserted into the measuring space formed by the limiting member (103) and the plate (102). The partial section according to the second figure shows that a bottom surface of the plate (102) sits on the shoulder (101e) of the frame (101a), and the hole (102b) runs through the entire plate (102) longitudinally. A test object (D) is placed on the bearing surface (102a) of the board (102) and is surrounded by the limiting member (103). Due to the weight of the pressing member (104) and the weight of the weight, the object to be tested is pressed by the pressing surface (104c) of the pressing member (104). The object to be tested may deform and prevent the extrusion member (104) from continuing to advance. Alternatively, the test object may deform to advance through the hole (102b) below it. However, the deformation is the result of extrusion over a period of time. For example, the weight of the weight (200) can be Choose from five hundred grams, one kilogram, two kilograms, and three kilograms. In a possible alternative, the pressing member (104) and the French code (200) can be replaced by the probe of a known texture analyzer. Those skilled in the art can use appropriately sized probes to mate with the limiting member (103) and plate (102). The probe is generally controlled by a driver, which can be configured to use six, twelve, twenty-four, thirty-six, or forty-eight kilograms as the force of the probe. According to the pressing distance of the probe, a deformation amount related to the object to be tested can be recorded, thereby the texture of the object to be tested can be known.

Referring to the third figure A and the third figure B, the relative relationship between the pressing part (104) and the restricting part (103) in the initial state and the final state of the object to be tested are respectively shown. The initial state is a position where the pressing member (104) is located before the object to be tested is pressed. For example, the position where the pressing surface (104c) contacts the object to be measured, or the position where the pressing member (104) does not enter the measurement space can be determined. The measurer should decide the appropriate starting state according to the measurement conditions. The final state is that there is no further significant change in the deformation of the pressed object to be tested. For example, the final state may be determined by a predetermined pressing time, or the relative relationship between the pressing member (104) and the restricting member (103) can be observed through the aforementioned marking (104e) without any appreciable change. Thereby, the position change of the pressing member (104) in the initial state and the final state can be regarded as a deformation data caused by the pressing of the object to be tested. It can be understood that replacing gravity components with different weights will affect the deformation of the object to be tested. Based on the measurements of a set of gravity components, statistics related to the object to be measured can be obtained. In addition, for the test objects with different textures, the statistical results of the deformation amount will also be different.

The fourth figure A and the fourth figure B show, respectively, the first and second embodiments of the aforementioned arrangement of holes (102b). The fourth figure A shows the arrangement of twenty-eight holes, in which four of the holes are evenly arranged on an innermost diameter, sixteen holes of the holes are evenly arranged at an outermost diameter, and the remaining The bottom eight holes are evenly arranged between the innermost diameter and the outermost diameter. In one embodiment, the diameter of the single hole is about 6.12 mm, the innermost The gap between the hole and the hole with the diameter of The area accounts for about 54.92% of the area of the extrusion surface (104c). References herein to "the total cross-sectional area of the holes" or similar statements refer to the sum of the cross-sectional areas of each hole. As used herein, "cross-sectional area of a hole" or similar description refers to the cross-sectional area of the hole on the bearing surface of the plate.

The fourth panel B shows the arrangement of twenty-one holes, one of which is located in the center, thirteen of the holes are evenly arranged at an outermost diameter, and the remaining seven holes It is equally divided between the center and the outermost diameter. In one embodiment, the diameter of the single hole is about 8mm, the gap between the hole with the outermost diameter is about 0.88mm, the gap between the hole with the center and the outermost diameter is about 0.74mm, and the total cross-sectional area of the hole accounts for about 0.88mm. The area of the extrusion surface (104c) is about 70.38%.

Furthermore, the fourth figure C shows yet another embodiment, which is an arrangement of forty-eight holes according to an area defined by a hexagon, of which the closest to the center are the three holes around the center, and the remaining holes are toward the edges of the hexagon. arranged in a specific direction. The spacing between each of these holes and the other adjacent hole is approximately 1.37 mm. A maximum distance between points in the hexagon is 43.7 mm. The diameter of the hole is 4mm. The total cross-sectional area of these holes is about 40% of the area of the extrusion surface (104c).

Furthermore, Figure 4 D shows yet another embodiment, which is a concentric distribution arrangement of thirty-seven holes according to a region defined by a circle, with one hole distributed in the center, and the center hole is in turn composed of six adjacent holes. Surrounded by holes, there are eighteen holes in the outermost ring, among which, for the area of the extrusion surface (104c), the total cross-sectional area with a diameter of 4.5mm accounts for 40.52%, and the total cross-sectional area with a diameter of 5mm accounts for 50.03%. %, while the total cross-sectional area with a hole diameter of 5.5mm accounted for 60.53%. The logic of the arrangement method of the fourth D diagram is to start from the center point, and from the inner circle to the outer circle, it is arranged in multiples of six. For example, the first circle is six holes, the second circle is twelve holes, and the third circle is eighteen holes. , plus a total of thirty-seven holes. Of course, in other possibilities, it is also possible to create different arrangement.

The four arrangements shown in the fourth figure can be implemented on different boards, respectively. "Different plates" as used herein means that the plates differ in at least one of the following parameters: arrangement of the plurality of holes, total cross-sectional area of the plurality of holes, single hole diameter, single hole cross-sectional area, etc. In this way, the measurer can select the plate for measurement according to the properties of the object to be tested, or perform multiple measurements on the same object to be measured with different plates to obtain more accurate results. Preferably, the arrangement of the holes is a center-symmetric arrangement, which can ensure that the force on the object to be tested and the plate during the measurement is uniform. The number of the holes or their arrangement can be determined by at least the known area of a circle (ie the area of the extrusion surface) and the proportion of the total area of the holes (eg 40%, 50%, 60%). The same arrangement logic, based on the selection of different said area ratios, can obtain the value diameter or number of holes. In a possible embodiment, the diameters of the holes are not identical. As before, the plate (102) can be clamped in the frame (101a) via the cooperation of the threaded holes (101f) and the screws (101g). Of course, the plate (102) can also be removed from the frame (101a). For example, a plate with a relatively small single hole diameter is suitable for dough with relatively high moisture content (such as 35 to 50%), and a plate with a relatively large single hole diameter is suitable for dough with relatively low moisture content (such as less than 35%) %).

Based on the above configuration, the measurer can first place an object to be measured in an accommodating space defined by the bearing surface (102a) of the plate (102) and the limiting member (103), namely the measurement space or the measurement chamber. Taking dough as an example, the dough to be tested can be prepared through a specific ratio (such as the ratio of water, salt and flour). In addition, preferably, the size and initial shape of the object to be tested should have consistent specifications. Then, within a predetermined period of time, the object to be tested located in the accommodating space is squeezed by the pressing member (104) at an initial position. For example, the measurer can release the pressing member (104) from the position in contact with the top of the object to be measured, and after a period of time (ie, the effective pressing time), such as ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds or sixty seconds seconds, the degree of displacement of the pressing member (104) is recorded via said marking (104e). After the predetermined time has elapsed, based on the squeeze An end position of the part and the aforementioned initial position obtain a first information, such as the displacement value of the extruded part (104) as shown in the third figure. Of course, within the predetermined time period, the measurer can also obtain records at different time points according to the marks to form more specific statistical information.

Finally, the pressing member (104) is removed and the pressed test object is taken out, so as to obtain a second information at least based on the difference (eg, deformation) between the test object and the pressed test object. For example, in the case of different extrusion degrees, the degree to which the dough is squeezed into the hole (102b) is also different, which can be observed or measured after being taken out.

According to the above description, at least the following statistical information can be obtained by using the measuring device for dough and the method thereof of the present disclosure, including: the influence of different extrusion degrees on the deformation degree of the object to be measured, the impact of different extrusion degrees on the object to be measured with different textures ( Such as the influence statistics of dough with different moisture content), the influence of extrusion time on the deformation degree of the test object, the influence of different moisture content dough on the deformation degree of the test object, the influence of different measurement time on the deformation degree of the test object, etc. Based on this, statistical information can be created.

In summary, the present disclosure provides a measuring device for dough without power supply, which can select the degree of extrusion and the resistance to deformation of the object to be measured (the size of the hole, such as cross-sectional area, total cross-sectional area or arrangement, etc.), overcomes the limitations of electronic devices and provides additional usability for measurement methods.

Although the foregoing disclosure has been described with certain details for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be understood that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the claimed patent application. Therefore, the above embodiments are for illustration only, not for limitation, and the present disclosure is not limited to the details described herein, but can be modified within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents.

101a: Box

102: Board

102b: hole

103: Restricted Parts

104: Extrusion Parts

104b: Extrusion head

104c: Extrusion Surface

200: Weight

D: object to be tested

Claims (15)

A measuring device for dough, comprising: a plate, including a bearing surface for carrying an object to be measured, the plate is formed with a plurality of holes, the plurality of holes penetrate the plate; a restricting member for seating an accommodating space is defined on the board and with the board, the accommodating space is used for accommodating the object to be tested; and an extruding part including a bearing surface and an extrusion oppositely extending from the bearing surface The extrusion head is configured to have a shape and size that fits the accommodating space, so that the extrusion part can be at least partially accommodated in the accommodating space to extrude the object to be tested, wherein the extrusion part is The bearing surface is used for bearing one of a plurality of gravity components with different weights, thereby adjusting the force exerted by the pressing component on the object to be tested in the accommodating space. The measuring device as described in claim 1 further comprises a base for holding the plate. The measuring device of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of holes has a diameter of 4.00 to 8.00 mm. The measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the extrusion head has an extrusion surface, and the total area of the plurality of holes accounts for 40.00 to 70.38% of the area of the extrusion surface. The measuring device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of holes is an array of twenty-eight holes, four of which are distributed on an innermost diameter of the array, and sixteen of which are distributed at an outermost diameter of the arrangement. The measuring device as described in claim 2, wherein the plurality of holes are two An array of eleven holes, one of which is distributed in the center of the array, and thirteen of which are distributed over an outermost diameter of the array. The measuring device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of holes is an arrangement of forty-eight holes arranged according to a hexagonally defined area, wherein three holes surround the center of the arrangement. The measuring device as described in claim 2, wherein the plurality of holes is an arrangement of thirty-seven holes, wherein one hole is distributed in the center of the arrangement, and the diameter of each hole is selected from 4.5mm, 5mm and One of 5.5mm. The measuring device as described in claim 1, wherein the extrusion head is formed with a mark, wherein the mark is used to indicate the relative position of the extrusion part and the restriction part. A measuring method for dough, using the measuring device as described in claim 1, the method comprising: placing an object to be measured in the accommodating space; pressing the pressing member at an initial position the object to be tested located in the accommodating space; and obtaining a first information based on a termination position and the aforementioned starting position of the extruding member, wherein the extruding member has the bearing surface for carrying the gravity member therein One and the extrusion head extending oppositely from the bearing surface, the extrusion head is configured to have a shape and size that fits the accommodating space, so that the extrusion part can be partially accommodated in the accommodating space for extrusion Press the analyte. The method of claim 10, further comprising: removing the pressing member and taking out the pressed test object, and obtaining a second test object based on at least the difference between the test object and the pressed test object News. The method described in item 10 of the scope of the application further includes: A gravity component is selected from the gravity components and placed on the bearing surface of the extrusion component, wherein the gravity component is different from the other gravity components. The method of claim 10, wherein the plate is formed with a plurality of holes penetrating the plate. The method of claim 10, further comprising: replacing the plate with another plate formed with a plurality of holes, wherein the holes of the plate are different in size from the holes of the other plate size. The method of claim 14, further comprising: replacing the plate with the other plate based on the moisture content of the analyte.

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