Ingredient Challenges: Teasing Out Texture Testing
Traditionally, monitoring the quality of finished products was the responsibility of chefs in restaurants, or of quality control personnel who used qualitative sensory methods in food plants. However, taking advantage of advances in technology, various analytical tools can be applied in order to quantify sensory perceptions into more objective characteristics. No single tool can be used to quantify all sensory parameters, so one must look for a particular tool to characterize each sensory property.
For example, a texture analyzer can be used to characterize physical properties that are responsible for determining the “feel” of a product. Historically, texture analyzers were expensive tools, and this factor was largely responsible for keeping them out of reach of all but the largest food processors and researchers. Now, the market is more competitive and prices are falling within range of even small food producers. In this article, bread is used to demonstrate how one might apply this analysis; however, similar tests may apply to any flour-based bakery product.