Texture Analysis of Novel Confectionery

Pillowy fondants, sticky caramels and gooey chocolate - their texture doesn't need to be a mystery! 

From fairytales and films to cordon bleu gastronomy and industrial food production, confectionery is found at the heart of Western culture.

This love of all things sweet has not been overlooked by the commercial confectionery industry, which manufactures millions of tonnes each year. Meeting market demand, however, isn’t easy. Today’s consumers want it all, demanding products that deliver on taste and texture alike to enhance their eating experience.

Exciting new food textures will be among the emerging trends over the next three years, together with more “playful" products for adults and more widespread use of edible packaging, according to a leading food futurologist...

According to the Candy Industry in 2014, 14% of global confectionery (chocolates and sugar confectionery) launches possessed a ‘texture’ claim such as soft, creamy, smooth, crunchy, chewy – the second highest penetration rate for texture claims of new products launched.

Meanwhile a 2015 Innova study stated that texture is becoming a leading driver for taste perception in food, particularly sweets or candies. Extra crunchy, super crispy – texture descriptions on new products have become more elaborate over the last couple of years along with the increasing use of superlatives to convey the “ultimate texture experience”.
It’s not just the words that are getting more elaborate. Visual texture descriptions are also receiving more prominence on packaging, while the size of the texture-evoking words is also increasing. Texture has become more dominant due to bigger inclusions such as chunks, clusters and nuggets, more innovative shapes have evolved to help achieve extra crunch or improved taste and the idea of providing a multitude of textures all at once, such as chewy, smooth and crunchy.

Having watched the classic film ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, it would come as no surprise that the confectionery industry has the potential to be the most diverse and creative industry on earth. The confectionery industry is unique in the sense that everything is deliberately designed to meet consumer requirements and market expectations. The myriad of ingredients available to formulate such texturally amazing products is endless which means there is virtually no limit to the vast variety of confectionery products that can be configured.

Once designed, however, the texture will need to be quantified because, after it’s desired and bought, any new confectionery product will then survive only as long as the manufacturer is able to provide it at consistent quality to meet the consumer’s expectations. Production methods, processing parameters, potential ingredient substitution will all need to be considered as to their contribution to change in finished product texture. The market is exciting and playful but loyalty is key and quick to change so you’ll want to make sure that the product quality is optimally measured and monitored to minimise failure.
 
Measure the texture of your novel confectionery products using a TA.XTplus Texture Analyser – watch a video which summarises a wide range of texture analysis solutions...

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We can design and manufacture probes or fixtures for the TA.XTplus texture analyser that are bespoke to your sample and its specific measurement.

Once your measurement is performed, our expertise in its graphical interpretation is unparalleled. Not only can we develop the most suitable and accurate method for the testing of your sample, but we can also prepare analysis procedures that obtain the desired parameters from your curve and drop them into a spreadsheet or report designed around your requirements.

For more information on how to measure texture, please visit the Texture Analysis Properties section on our website.

The TA.XTplus texture analyser is part of a family of texture analysis instruments and equipment from Stable Micro Systems. An extensive portfolio of specialist attachments is available to measure and analyse the textural properties of a huge range of food products. Our technical experts can also custom design instrument fixtures according to individual specifications.

No-one understands texture analysis like we do!

To discuss your specific test requirements click here...