Brookfield M14-TASBAWB3 User Manual

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M14-TASBAWB3

Installation In structions for Texture

Accessory Part Number: TA-SBA-WB-3

TA-SBA-WB-3 – Shear Blade Assembly

The Shear Blade Assembly (SBA) is used to perform cutting
tests on various food items, especially meat products. The
“WB” in the part number refers to Warner-Bratzler which was
the name first given to a shearing apparatus used to mea su re
the fo rc e needed to cut meat. The original instrument used a
stainless-steel blade with a cutout through the blad e in the
shape of an equilateral triangle.

The TA-SBA-WB-3 is Brookfie ld ’s Shear Blade 3mm
Assembly, which comes with 4 blades that are each 3mm
thick:

1) TA-SBA-4 is the Plain Blade

2) TA-SBA-5 is the Plain Vee Blad e

3) TA-SBA-6 is the Shaped Vee Blade

4) TA-SBA-3 is the Warner-Bratzler Blade. Note that the

rectangular hole in this blade is different in shape from
the equilateral triangle described above.

Installation

The blade assembly screws into the probe coupling on the
head of the CT3 Texture Analyzer. The thumb nut allows
you to orient the blade so that it will slid e into the Guide
Block mounted on the Base Plate during the test.

The Base Plate with Guide Block mounts onto the Fixture
Base Table, which is purchased separately from the Shear
Blade Assembly.

Choice of blade depends on the cutting action that is desired:

1) Meat that is round in shape, such as the American

frankfurter, is best cut with the Plain Vee or Shaped Vee
Blade; the “vee” shape opening in the blade
accommodates the meat sam ple by making initial contact
at 2 points on the sample surface, which effectively holds
it in place as the cutting action commences.

2) The Plain Blade is appropriate for samples that have a flat horizontal surface.

3) The Warner-Bratzler Blade is used to cut samples along the longest dimension.

Move the blade downward before commencing the test, to confirm that it is correctly oriented and will fit into the Gu id e Block.

Put the food item in place on the Base Plate. Bring the blade to a position a few millimeters above the test sample. Commence the test.

TA-SBA-WB-3 Assembly

with TA-SBA-4 (Plain Blade)

TA-SBA-5

(Plain Vee

Blade)

TA-SBA-6

(Shaped Vee

Blade)

TA-SBA-3

(Warner-Bratzler

Blade)