Isolating the Food Sample in Its Native State

Accurate stability analysis begins with preserving the formulation exactly as it exists before testing. Additional preparation steps can alter the interactions between proteins, fats, stabilisers, and other ingredients, making it harder to understand how a product will behave in storage. For that reason, the BeScan workflow offers a straightforward preparation procedure. The operator should load the sample into a compatible measurement cell using a procedure that minimises air bubbles, shear, and temperature changes. Where the native sample is suitable for measurement, testing can be performed without dilution or added reagents. Preserving the original structure ensures that droplets, suspended particles, and ingredient networks remain undisturbed throughout the test. As a result, the collected data reflects the formulation itself rather than changes introduced during preparation.

Configuring Environmental Parameters for Accelerated Stability Testing

Temperature often determines how quickly structural changes emerge when conducting stability analysis of a food system. Instead of waiting through lengthy storage studies, researchers can accelerate these processes under controlled laboratory conditions using the BeScan Lab+.

Testing parameters can be tailored to the product under investigation with the BeScan Lab+'s software interface. The integrated temperature chamber operates at temperatures up to 80°C, enabling faster comparison of formulation responses under controlled thermal stress than conventional shelf studies.. Faster access to stability information helps development teams compare ingredient combinations, assess stabiliser performance, and refine formulations more efficiently.

Laboratories working with multiple candidates can further improve productivity through independent multi-channel testing, which supports the simultaneous evaluation of up to 10 samples under different conditions.

Activating the SMLS Scan to Map Microscopic Movement

With testing conditions established, the stability analysis enters its measurement phase. Inside the BeScan Lab+, an optical scanning head travels vertically along the sample cell, collecting measurement points every 20 microns. By moving through the entire sample height, the analyser generates a detailed map of the formulation and records how its structure changes over time.

Two complementary signals contribute to this analysis. Transmission measurements are most informative when sufficient light passes through the sample, while backscattering measurements are particularly useful for highly scattering or optically opaque dispersions. Together, these signals reveal changes in particle distribution, droplet organisation, and concentration throughout the sample.

Characteristic shifts in the optical profile also reveal processes such as creaming, sedimentation, aggregation, and phase separation, helping to pinpoint where changes occur and how they progress during testing.

Translating BeScan Data into Actionable Formulation Fixes

Graphical outputs formed during stability analysis connect observed changes with specific destabilisation mechanisms. Signal variations near the top or bottom of the sample typically indicate particle migration. Activity near the upper region often corresponds to creaming, and accumulation near the bottom suggests sedimentation. In contrast, changes occurring within the middle of the sample are more commonly associated with particle size evolution, including flocculation, aggregation, or coalescence.

Alongside such visual profiles, the software calculates an Instability Index (IUS), which condenses complex light-scattering data into a single quantitative value. Under the same measurement protocol, formulations with smaller structural changes generally show lower or more slowly increasing IUS values, whereas less stable systems tend to show faster increases.. This straightforward metric makes it easier to compare formulations, rank candidates, and support development decisions with objective data.