Towards the development of a low-cost food texture analyser

Existing texture analysers are expensive and offer limited programming functionalities to control the instrument for repetitive measurements. Moreover, measurement data is logged into a file for post processing and visualization, with no provision for it to be displayed in real-time. This paper details the electronic design of a low-cost load cell based food texture analyser targeted for use in scientific laboratories to evaluate texture of fruits. Sophisticated programmable devices, such as high-precision ADC and stepper motor controller/driver have been incorporated in the design. A LCD based input device provides a user friendly graphical interface for interaction with the instrument. Further, a novel command based language has been developed to control the instrument and a user can write his own script to control the instrument for an experiment. The instrument will facilitate food science research and product development. The system has been tested on several fruits and measurement data compared with a standard texture analyser.