How crisp is your cracker?

We have combined the capture and analysis of sound and force data in order to develop an objective method for assessing the crispness of products.

Crispness is a key quality parameter in some food products that has been difficult to determine instrumentally because of the complex way in which it is perceived, as a combination of touch and sound. Currently the most effective way of measuring crispness is by using a trained sensory panel. Although instrumental methods to assess firmness of food products are currently widely applied, a measurement which also incorporates sound information is currently lacking. Using ten different commercially available crackers we compared results of sensory analysis with a number of instrumental measures of both force and sound. A new test was developed using the ratio of force to sound energy achieved by breaking the cracker under controlled conditions. This showed better correlation with sensory analysis than could be achieved by either force or sound data alone.

Test sensitivity was good, and it is applicable to a wide range of products with crispy properties. The method developed provides a useful instrumental measure for assessing products with crispy properties for product development.

Contact: Mervin Poole
+44(0)1386 842287
mervin.poole@campdenbri.co.uk

Members can request an electronic copy of the following R&D report:

Assessing the use of co–ordinated force and sound measurements in products with crispy properties to determine crispness (RD343)

For a copy of the full report send an e–mail to auto@campdenbri.co.uk with the subject line: send RD343