Texture Analysis in action: the Multiple Pea Test Rig

The MULTIPLE PEA TEST RIG (HDP/MPT*) 

This rig measures the force to simultaneously penetrate up to 18 samples.

The insert has 18 indentations surrounding a cone which allows the samples to easily locate into the test positions.

Puncture strength and penetration force are measured and the penetration distance set so that the probes penetrate completely through the sample.

It’s time to perform Textural Magic! Part Four

Textural magic – designing texture into your new products

Marketplace developments suggest that consumers — and product developers — are very focused on texture.

The texture movement began around 2010, when the number of best-selling new products with a texture claim doubled over the previous 10-year period; growth has been strong and steady ever since.

The time to flaunt texture is now. Texture has enormous appeal to foodies, who are looking to find more adventure in foods. Texture is increasingly being used to confirm if a product is “real”, “fresh”, or “less processed”. Pieces of real nuts or dried fruit signal quality in cookies and bars. Moreover, texture claims are also helping to manage shoppers’ taste expectations for new products. For example, will that cookie be soft and chewy or crisp and hard?