Bloom (test)
Bloom is a test to measure the strength of a gel or gelatin. The test was originally developed and patented in 1925 by Oscar T. Bloom.[1] The test determines the weight in grams needed by a specified plunger (normally with a diameter of 0.5 inch) to depress the surface of the gel by 4 mm without breaking it at a specified temperature.[2] The number of grams is called the Bloom value, and most gelatins are between 30 and 300 g Bloom. The higher a Bloom value, the higher the melting and gelling points of a gel, and the shorter its gelling times.[2] This method is most often used on soft gels. To perform the Bloom test on gelatin, a 6.67% gelatin solution is kept for 17–18 hours at 10 °C prior to being tested.
Various gelatins are categorized as "low Bloom", "medium Bloom", or "high Bloom", but there are not universally defined specific values for these subranges. Gelatin is a biopolymer material composed of polypeptide chains of varying length. The longer the chain, the higher the Bloom number:[3]
| Category | Bloom number | Average molecular mass |
|---|---|---|
| Low Bloom | 50–125 | 20,000–25,000 |
| Medium Bloom | 175–225 | 40,000–50,000 |
| High Bloom | 225–325 | 50,000–100,000 |
See also[]
- Durometer
References[]
- ^ "US1540979 Machine for testing jelly strength of glues, gelatins, and the like". Google Patents. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ^ a b Schrieber, Reinhard; Gareis, Herbert. Gelatine Handbook: Theory and Industrial Practice. Wiley. ISBN 978-3-527-61097-6.
- ^ "Gelatins—product information sheet" (PDF). Sigma-Aldrich. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
External links[]
- Phillips, Glyn O.; Williams, Peter A. (2000). "6.3.1. Bloom strength—standard method for characterizing gel strength". Handbook of Hydrocolloids. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780849308505.
 | This fluid dynamics–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- Hardness tests
- Gels
- Fluid dynamics stubs