Wooing the Senses through Texture

From the rise in popularity of artisan foods, to growing interest in global cultures and cuisines, consumer desire for culinary stimulation has led to a greater breadth of food ‘experiences’ being developed.

Before a consumer has even started to eat, they have an expectation of what they are about to experience and already some of their senses will have been activated. The crunch and crack from a bag of popcorn or the sight of melted oozing cheese on a freshly baked pizza are typical things that help our senses play a crucial role in how memorable, or not, the food we consume is.

The right texture can take products like French fries, yoghurt and candy-coated nuts from dull to deliciously daring. In short, if a product’s texture is wrong, consumers will notice.

Manufacturers are responding to a texture trend of including a texture-related claim on food and drink products to encourage first-time purchase as consumers seek new sensations, experiences and products that fit with their lifestyles. However, it is at the eating stage that texture can make or break a product. If an on-pack claim doesn’t align with the eating experience, consumers will not get what they expect, making brand loyalty, repeat purchase or advocacy unlikely.

Texture quantification needs to be approached through a range of methods to ensure all considerations are taken into account and that the final product meets consumer expectations.  First of all, sensory experts, research, market insights, texture maps and diagrams can build the big picture. An appreciation of what is important to a consumer needs to be understood; e.g. for a dairy product, definitions such as Spoon indentation (the indentation made by a spoon), Firmness (the force required to compress the product), Mouthcoating (the extent to which the sample evenly spreads over the palate).

Traditionally, manufacturers have been more focused on achieving the right flavour for their products, leaving texture as an afterthought.  But with its rise as a key product differentiator, it’s recommended that texture is built first, then flavour and colour optimised afterwards. 

Creating a unique product texture is a step-by-step approach that brings together sensory, formulations and application knowledge to arrive at a very specific result.

First of all, its important to determine which texture a product will need, depending on what consumers would expect. Once this has been defined application and formulation expertise needs to establish which ingredients will provide the desired attributes. 

Texture isn’t always built before product development – the texture of an existing product can be adjusted at a later stage to cater to a growing consumer trend, or to retain the sensory qualities of products when reducing ingredients such as sugar and fat. If a manufacturer replaces traditional ingredients for example, this will modify a product’s qualities. The aim is to retain these as far as possible to ensure seamless consumer appeal and repurchase. In addition, manufacturers also have to ensure their products satisfy key consumer trends to remain competitive.

Although texture is an area of food science that has traditionally been overlooked, this is rapidly changing as its potential continues to be realised by the industry. Texture is an incredibly powerful and potential-filled tool at the disposal of today’s food and drink manufacturers. It not only enables them to maintain product appeal and quality while formulating for trends such as gluten-free, clean label and nutrition plus, it also offers a way to make their products stand out, resonate and compete on differentiation, rather quality or price. For many, this could make the difference between failure and success in a highly competitive marketplace.

Not only will manufacturers need to measure the effects of ingredient changes during development, but once a golden product has been created they will need to ensure its quality is consistent. Once again, consumers loyalty would be challenged if expectations were not met.  Here’s where a Texture Analyser becomes the perfect tool for the job. Objective, repeatable, calibratable, quantifiable references for your product – and the ability to compare the texture of your new product to your competitors.

There’s a model for your application depending on the type of texture you wish to measure and how sophisticated you want to accessorise your measurements with, for example, the addition of acoustic measurement (for putting a number on your crispy products) or whether you wish to measure the flowability of your powdered ingredients.

There is a Texture Analysis test for virtually any physical property. Contact Stable Micro Systems today to learn more about our full range of solutions.

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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.

No-one understands texture analysis like we do!

To discuss your specific test requirements click here...