Testing Texture in reformulated food

Introduction

Consumers are more aware of, and knowledgeable about, their health than ever before.

This increased focus has led to people following a variety of different diets, with a wide range of dietary specifications, putting pressure on manufacturers to develop a portfolio of foods and drinks to meet individual needs. In many cases, this involves reformulating an existing product to have more of a particular ingredient, such as higher protein content, or less of another, including salt, fat and sugar.

Quite frequently flavour may be the first consideration of a recipe revision, but formulation changes can have an impact on a range of attributes. One such quality is texture. While less obvious in many cases than flavour or aroma, texture plays a huge role in consumer enjoyment. In fact, Mintel has identified texture as one of the leading trends in food and drink for 2018 – particularly in Europe which has had the largest share of global launches featuring descriptions of texture since January 2016. 

Understanding the impact on texture, and the potential implications of these texture changes, is crucial in ensuring new product launches aren’t a miss with consumers. So, what can manufacturers do? Consistent, objective measurement is vital for informing reformulation and new product development, in addition to maintaining high quality standards. 

We will be discussing the effect on texture of these three issues in the next three blog posts.

---

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...