Evaluation of a sugar-based edible adhesive using a tensile strength tester.

A method to evaluate adhesives has been developed and used to reformulate a recently patented adhesive which is based on sugar and citric acid. Factors affecting adhesive performance were uncovered, such as an optimal curing temperature of 60°C. The addition of maltodextrin and soy protein at optimized levels was shown to nearly double the bonding strength of the adhesive, from 0.46 ± 0.076 to 0.74 ± 0.26 kN, under our test conditions. Also discussed is the potential for this method to be automated using commercially available equipment.