Designing the best potato chip

Researchers have developed a method to analyse the physical characteristics of a potato chip at four stages of eating — from the first bite to the final swallow — to help formulate a tastier low-fat snack. The results of the research have been reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.  

While munching on low-fat potato chips might reduce the guilt compared with full-fat versions, many people don’t find the texture as appealing. Cutting fat in potato chips usually involves reducing the vegetable oil content but it’s the oil that helps give the product its characteristic crunch, taste and mouthfeel. 


Texture perception is conceptualised as an emergent cognitive response to food characteristics that comprise several physical and chemical properties. When food scientists formulate a new low-fat chip, they often rely on trained sensory panellists to tell them how well the new snack simulates the full-fat version. This process can be expensive, time-consuming and often subjective, since perceptions can vary based on factors like a person’s saliva flow rate and composition

Read more about what mechanical testing was performed in this research and how the new technique to link physical measurements with sensory perceptions could be used. 

TA.XTplus Texture Analyser and
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Meanwhile, scientists from the Korea Food Research Institute have been researching the prediction of sensory crispness of potato chips using a reference-calibration method. Reference calibration is a useful technique when sensory evaluation is not feasible or practical. This study was conducted to predict the crispness perception of potato chips evaluated by instrumental means through the reference-calibrated method. They used their TA.XTplus Texture Analyser to perform compression and three-point bend tests. The relationship between the instrumental graph area and the sensory crispness of the standard references was found to be nonlinear over the standard crispness scale but the Fechner model was suitable for predicting the sensory crispness of chips. This study suggests that standard references with a reference-calibration method can be used to calibrate the crispness of potato chips. Read more

To find out more about Texture Analysis solutions for your snack product range, talk to Stable Micro Systems today.

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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.

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