Keeping up in texture: Interesting texture-related literature

We’ve kept our eye out for interesting literature which highlights the use of a Texture Analyser and helps provide an understanding as to the sensory link between the consumer’s perception of products and how objective assessment has its place in the development or products in research, development and industrial quality control.

The Measurement of Mucoadhesion/Bioadhesion

Mucoadhesion is the process by which a drug delivery device is designed to stick to a part of the gut or other mucosae, thus delivering drug to a precise site in the body for an extended period. This gives more effective treatment of some diseases and can also protect drugs from some of the harsh conditions in the body. Mucoadhesive drug delivery systems are used to treat several conditions in the mouth and have been investigated as treatments for stomach ulcers and cancer. The majority of infections affecting man and animals take place or start in mucous membranes. The ability to retain pharmacologically-active agents for extended periods of time on any mucosal epithelium, including those of the nose, mouth, rectum or vagina confers several potential therapeutic advantages.

Why is texture so important to personal care and skincare products?

Consumers today expect to be wowed by a personal care product, and texture is crucial in this process. It occurs in the first instance due to the aroma, which is the primary criterion for first product purchase and subsequent brand loyalty. The second factor is touch, which is a sensory factor. Humans are connected to the world through their senses, thus it's critical to provide them with a positive sensory experience when using a product. People no longer solely value a product by how effectively it performs but they now particularly like it when a texture changes when it comes into contact with their skin or hair. Brands have recognised this and have directed their formulators to develop new components that combine the strength of many textures to increase the consumer's enjoyment of the product. To create textural transformations formulators working swiftly to align formulations with this latest sensory trend by using particular components and scientific understanding to change the texture of a cosmetic product that stands out in the market.

Advances in petfood: Texture analysis in research

The soaring demand for protein poses a real challenge, because current available supplies just can't keep up. This gap between protein supply and demand is expected to continue to expand as the world population reaches 9 billion people by the year 2050 (and as global pet ownership also increases).

From alligator, kangaroo, buffalo and brushtail possum in dog and cat treats petfood companies have cleverly catered to growing consumer demand for ever more exotic and novel sources of protein. Just as people are seeking to try new types, and increase the levels, of protein in the foods they eat, they are doing the same for their pets' foods, thanks to ongoing humanisation.

How texture analysis can advance personalised medicine

What is Personalised Medicine?

Imagine your medicine being tailored to your exact needs based on your gender, size, genetics and desired drug form.

The traditional medical approach comprises a ‘one-size-fits-all’ application of drugs. This does not consider interpatient variability and, has long been known, may result in significantly different therapeutic outcomes among patients. The ability to provide the optimum dosage and apply an ‘individual’ approach to patients has gained increasing interest due to ongoing development in the field of human genome research and new potential manufacturing technologies, i.e. 3D printing. Providing genetic information on an individual patient level improves decision-making regarding the right active pharmaceutical ingredient, dose, and time required for a specific patient resulting in fewer adverse effects and superior treatment outcomes.

Actuation force and how to measure it

What is an actuation test?

An actuation test measures the process that occurs when a mechanical device operates. For example, the release of a hairspray aerosol, a liquid soap hand pump, an inhaler barrel or a keyboard or camera button. It is a non-destructive test, simply causing a device to function in the way in which it was designed and used to measure every aspect of interest of this function.

Checking the texture of upcycled and clean-label cosmetics

Spreadability test on the TA.XTplusC Texture Analyser

In 2022, we are expected to see a big worldwide trend: sustainability - with cosmetic and ingredient companies pledging to use more plant-based/natural ingredients. For the benefit of themselves and the environment, consumers have begun to regard sustainability as a standard moral and ethical need. The growing demand for more sustainable products, as well as the renewable features of natural raw materials, are a perfect match to bring ‘circular’ beauty on our shelves. Circular beauty involves the concept of upcycling to make use of left-over or discarded ingredients.

Why food is nothing without texture

January brings with it new diets, exercise regimes and promises. It’s no secret that the majority of these fall by the wayside come February or March. Delicious desserts, mouth-watering canapes, mind-blowing buffets… no doubt you experienced these during the festive season and are still noticing the consequences. Your consumers will have put on some unwelcome pounds too and will be looking for several solutions to remove them. It’s likely that they will turn to the reduced-fat versions of their preferred food choices. However, texture plays a large part in consumer enjoyment and expectations of textural attributes remain high.

Texture analysis in research: Gluten-free products

Since the days when rice flour and tapioca were the go-to gluten-free substitutes for wheat flour and other gluten-containing grains, gluten-free formulations have come a long way. However, consumers' expectations for gluten-free product development are becoming increasingly complex. This means that gluten-free product formulators and marketers must recognise that consumers care about more than just gluten; they care about nutrition, flavour, and the assurance that the product is gluten-free.

Novel Physical Testing Methods using the Texture Analyser

Bread V Squeeze Rig

Our probes and fixtures range has developed due to the need for new ways to hold/support and test samples in ways that haven’t been previously available for traditional texture analysis test methods. For example, if you need to mimic an action that a consumer typically performs in their use of a product why not challenge us to design a fixture that gives you the ability to imitate this during a test. 

Texture: the flavour of the future TED Talk

Isha Datar, Executive Director at New Harvest

What if you could eat chicken nuggets without harming a chicken? It's possible through "cellular agriculture," says Isha Datar, Executive Director at New Harvest. In a talk about cutting-edge science, she explains how this new means of food production makes it possible to eat meat without the negative consequences of industrial farming – and how it could fundamentally change our food systems for the better. "It's our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a second chance at agriculture," she says.

Isha shows us how a Texture Analyser is being used in her TED Talk: How we could eat real meat without harming animals. Sounds interesting? You can watch how it’s done here

How to measure the physical and dimensional properties of hair – Laser Profiling

Measurements using the Volscan Profiler

Many products come with claims for enhanced and long-lasting hair body or volume while taming flyaways and frizz. As with any other claim, scientific testing must back it up. Methods to do so include the measurement of the body of a tress sample using a custom made holder (volume, surface area, frizziness and furthest flung hair) and the measurement of a mannequin head (comparison of treatments on each side of the head, root lift and crown volume on each side).

High body follows the loose definition of thick and bouncy hair with high volume and much movement when the head is turned. It may also be defined as hair with good elevation from the scalp in both the vertical and lateral directions.

How to measure the physical and dimensional properties of hair – Tensile and Bend tests

Hair Mono Filament Testing

Tensile testing is the simplest method for measuring the strength of a hair fibre. Hair strength correlates with the amount of damage that it has undergone, whether from UV, bleach or mechanical treatments. 

If the diameter of the hair is accurately measured using a micrometer, fundamental measurements of breaking stress, breaking strain, energy to failure and elastic modulus can be calculated. Hair fibres can be variable, so a large number of repeats will aid with data interpretation.

This type of test is generally performed at a constant strain rate (constant loading arm velocity), but fatigue testing can also provide useful information, as it is more imitative of the trials and tribulations undergone by a head of hair over its lifetime. In a fatigue test, a large number of small displacement cycles are performed. The sample is stretched a small distance, then a fluctuating movement applied for a given number of cycles, or until breakage.

How to measure the physical and dimensional properties of hair – Combability

Measurements using Texture Analysis

Hair Combability

Consumers often desire fullness of hair which is associated with hair volume. One of the mechanisms by which hair volume is achieved is by increasing hair fibre-to-fibre friction. However, if this friction is too high, combability may be negatively affected.

It is well known that conditioning shampoos and hair conditioners are used to provide a variety of benefits to hair: they reduce the combing force, enhance the gloss, give smoothness and antistatic properties and they improve the manageability of the hair. 

How to measure the physical and dimensional properties of hair – Introduction

Hair Testing using a Texture Analyser and Volscan Profiler

Haircare products make up an enormous part of the beauty industry. Consisting of thousands of products, such as shampoos, conditioners, sprays, gels and colourants, the global haircare market is predicted to rise to 105 billion dollars by 2025, according to Statista. 

Most consumers are looking to improve the health of their hair, whether that involves improving shine, body, colour or scalp health. Consequently, continuous research and development takes place in this industry to reflect consumers’ demands and habits.

Measuring Quality Parameters in the Poultry and Egg Industry – Egg Properties

Egg Testing 

Providing high quality eggs and egg products is crucial to the sustainable economic viability of the egg industry. Surveys conducted in the EU indicated that shell strength, albumen quality (consistency and height) and intensity of yolk pigment are the main measures of quality important to consumers. Guaranteeing quality is essential to meeting consumer expectations. 

The Egg Quality System, also known as the Egg Testing Kit, provides the tools that enable the producer and packer of poultry eggs to accurately and consistently measure the quality of their produce in a rapid and simple testing process. They can regularly monitor a range of parameters to ensure that their eggs meet the required quality standards and that these are maintained throughout the laying period. Exponent software for the Texture Analyser provides the operator with parameter options from which to choose the tests to be performed on each egg. 

Measuring Quality Parameters in the Poultry and Egg Industry – Processed Chicken Products

Crunchiness: Incisor Blade or Multiple Puncture Probe 

Batter produces a crisp, golden, flavourful crust. The primary factor in sensory acceptance of batter is crispness, a property manifested as a tendency to yield suddenly with a characteristic sound when subjected to an applied force. Consequently, when crisp products such as battered chicken are tested using a Texture Analyser, their force-time curves display characteristic peaks and drops in force ranging from large and few peaks for a very crunchy product to small and many for a product with more delicate crispness. Wherever the product’s crispness lies within this range, the force-time curve is jagged with multiple peaks when tested in bulk. 

Measuring Quality Parameters in the Poultry and Egg Industry – Bones and Intestines

Three-Point Bend Test: Chicken Bones 

In poultry, musculoskeletal disorders are a major negative outcome of poor nutrition. The food given to a chicken directly affects its bones, muscles and tendons; foods such as rye can cause bone strength to deteriorate. Young chickens used in meat production suffer a large proportion of these problems as good nutrition is crucial during rapid adolescent growth. This can lead to a high adolescent mortality rate and lameness, both of which contribute to decreased economic yields. 

Measuring Quality Parameters in the Poultry and Egg Industry – Cooked Chicken Methods

Warner-Bratzler: Cored Cooked Chicken Meat Samples 

Coring is a frequently-used method for creating a meat sample with consistent dimensions. The Warner-Bratzler Blade is well-suited to testing these samples, or any samples with a constant circular crosssection, including sausages. 

It is the most common biting or shearing system for the assessment of meat and meat products. This blade is particularly useful for providing a larger cutting surface around the product at the start of the test by means of its triangular notch in the middle of the blade, compared to a straight blade. When this blade is used along with a slotted base insert, it is able to cut through the entire sample. 

Measuring Quality Parameters in the Poultry and Egg Industry – Uncooked Poultry Methods

METHODS FOR POULTRY AND EGG TEXTURE MEASUREMENT 

MORS Knife Blade: Uncooked Poultry Breast 

Woody breast is a challenge currently at the forefront of poultry research. It is a defect in the Pectoralis major muscle in broiler birds, characterised by an abnormal hardness usually detected by palpitation and visual methods. Meat from birds affected by woody breast has lower sensory acceptance scores. As with any defect that negatively impacts sensory evaluation, this causes a large amount of damage to the economy of the poultry industry, which is helping to drive research into this area. 

Measuring Quality Parameters in the Poultry and Egg Industry – Introduction

Over the past twenty years, poultry meat has soared in popularity, overtaking pork as the most produced meat worldwide. 

Egg laying hens and broiler chickens are the two main chicken types farmed globally – one produces eggs and the other is raised for meat. In terms of egg production, China produced the highest number of eggs in 2019 at 661 billion. For industries of this magnitude and importance, world leading research and development and quality control are paramount. 

Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Leather and Textiles – Tear and Peel Tests

TEAR TESTS 

Tear testing is imitative of some of the stresses leather and textiles are subjected to during use. They are frequently put under tension in both clothing and upholstery, and it would be of great detriment if the material were to tear easily when tension is applied to a nick or cut. The double edge tear and trouser tear are the most commonly-used tear test methods for leather; out of these methods, only the trouser tear is used for textile samples. 

Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Leather and Textiles – Compression and Penetration Tests

LEATHER LOOP COMPRESSION 

The leather loop test is used to give an indication of softness. A loop of leather is held in a spring-loaded clamp and a platen used to apply a compression/de-compression cycle test on the loop. Measurements of the force exerted on the leather during the compression stroke (applied energy) and the force exerted by the leather during the decompression stroke (recovered energy) are recorded. The ratio of the recovered /applied energy is calculated and defined as the “springiness” of the sample. This parameter is a good measure of the softness of the leather. 

Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Leather and Textiles – Stitch Tests

STITCH TESTS 

Stitched seams play an important role in clothing, upholstery and footwear, as they affect both structural integrity and appearance. Some seams contain reinforcements, providing support in areas of high stress, or to strengthen a weak upper material that might have been chosen for fashion purposes. 

If a poor seam strength is reported in a stitch tear test, it can be used to recommend improvements in construction by examining how the seam failed. For example, thread density, size and type of thread, needle type/ size, and seam allowance may be adjusted. 

Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Leather and Textiles – Tensile Tests

TENSILE TESTS 

Tensile testing in its most basic form is the measurement of the maximum force a sample can be subjected to before it ruptures. There are two main configurations used for tensile testing fabrics: the strip method (ISO 13934-1) and the grab method (ISO 13934- 2). These methods calculate the maximum force and the elongation at this maximum force. They are mainly applicable to woven fabrics rather than non-woven, elasticated or coated fabrics; alternative standards are available for these materials. In both tests, results from specimens that break at the edge or in the jaw are discarded. 

Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Leather and Textiles – Introduction

Leather and Textiles Testing using a Texture Analyser

The textiles and leather industries employ millions of people worldwide, turning raw materials such as natural fibres (cotton and wool) and synthetic fibres (polyester) or treated, tanned hide into finished products such as clothes and footwear, using multiple complex processes. 

Research and Development in the leather and textiles industries are now more important than ever before. Customers are driven to purchase eco-friendly alternatives to traditional materials, seeking out textiles that require a lower volume of water for growth (e.g. hemp as an alternative to cotton), recycled leather and textiles, textiles that consume a large amount of carbon dioxide during their growth (e.g. bamboo) and vegan alternatives to silk and leather.

The Stickiness of Food

Stickiness is a difficult attribute to measure. Adhesion is characterised by the force of attraction between a material and a surface. This phenomenon occurs in several processes (such as baking, chocolate or powder production, bacterial adhesion to industrial plants), causing product losses and contamination. In this sense, parameters as surface energy and food composition play an essential role in adhesion study, being an essential field of understanding to optimise processes. A recent review approaches the adhesion fundamentals and their relation to food composition and surface properties. Moreover, it describes the tests usually applied to measure the adhesion of food on surfaces. Besides, this work shows that, regarding the literature, it is difficult to differentiate the adhesive from the cohesive forces. Food adhesion in different dryers and alternative to reduce the problem are discussed, considering that the deposition of dried material on supports and dryer walls causes low yields and operational and handling problems.

Types of Test to Characterise Mechanical Properties of Polymers: Flexure and Friction

FLEXURE 

Example standard methods: ASTM D790, ISO 178 

Flexural testing, commonly referred to as ‘three-point bend testing’, involves a long sample placed on two supports (or “rollers” due to their curved surface) a set distance apart, with a third roller moving down to contact the sample halfway between these supports. In some situations, two rollers are lowered onto the sample to instigate fourpoint bend testing. The loading arm moves down at a constant speed to bend the sample. If the sample is sufficiently brittle and the force required within the limit of the load cell, fracture will occur. 

Types of Test to Characterise Mechanical Properties of Polymers: Puncture, Compression and Indentation

Puncture   

In some cases, variations on tensile testing can be simpler than the traditional, two grips method, while still providing the results needed by the manufacturer or researcher. 

The Film Support Rig allows the measurement of the mechanical properties of fine films. Prior to performing the test, the sample is placed over a hole in a raised Perspex platform. A top plate prevents the sample from slipping during testing. The test is then carried out as the arm of the Texture Analyser brings a 5mm stainless steel ball probe down into the aperture. The sample is placed into a state of biaxial tension. The maximum force to rupture the film is recorded and is referred to as the burst strength of the sample. 

Types of Tests to Characterise Mechanical Properties of Polymers: Tension

POLYMER TEST TYPES 

Stable Micro Systems manufactures instruments that measure the tensile and compressional properties of polymers. As with any manufacturing innovation, the end product must go through a quality control process to assess its physical properties. A Texture Analyser is a crucial part of this procedure, giving a reliable way to test the mechanical (and sensorial) properties of items by applying a choice of compression, tension, extrusion, adhesion, bending or cutting tests to measure a product’s physical properties e.g. tensile strength, snap force, brittleness, compressibility, to name but a few. 

Mechanical Measurement of Polymers using a Texture Analyser – Introduction

Polymers are found in every corner of the modern world. Films, foams, adhesives, coatings, rubbers, composites, textiles and fibres, to name a few, can take many forms. Their uses are both functional and cosmetic, but wherever and however they are used, they must be fit for purpose. A large part of their research and development and quality control processing revolves around the measurement of mechanical properties. Many polymers are used in the form of engineering materials, but there are also natural polymers in foods (e.g. gluten, pectin or gelatin), wood, paper and other materials, which must be tested to the same extent. 

Reducing fat in food and the effect on texture

Delicious desserts, mouth-watering canapes, mind-blowing buffets… no doubt you will have experienced these during the festive season and have started noticing the consequences. Your consumers will have put on some unwelcome pounds too and will be looking for several solutions to remove them. It’s likely that they will turn to the reduced-fat versions of their preferred food choices. However, texture plays a large part in consumer enjoyment and expectations of textural attributes remain high. When reformulating your products you will be looking for change that show as little impact as possible. 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.

Plant-Based Meat Progress

The plant-forward movement is increasingly gaining traction. The likelihood remains that most people will not become vegetarian or vegan—rather, people will reduce their animal protein intake because it’s good for them to do so. Technology will also help drive that transition. Continuous efforts in research and development by plant-based meat manufacturers in terms of aroma, texture and shelf life of these new products is taking place all over the world. Specific users of the Stable Micro Systems Texture Analyser are employing texture analysis to optimise their products:

The latest in dairy product innovation using Texture Analysis

There has been a tremendous boom in the fortification of dairy products in recent years with the aim to often enhance the ability of consumers to prevent or combat numerous non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia and cancer. Additionally fortified dairy products are suitable for supplying children and teenagers with additional minerals that are essential for growth or aimed at older people where calcium plays a major part. Active ingredients used in the formulation of functional foods giving such health benefits include vitamins such as vitamin B and D, minerals such as calcium and iron, plant derived ingredients such as phenolic compounds or extracts, essential oils and dietary fibre, and animal derived ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids.

Texturisers in Cosmetic Products

Texture is a hugely important aspect of the cosmetics industry, delivering points of difference and that sense of indulgence critical for many formulations. In addition, the texture increases efficacy for many types of formulation, no more so than in sun care where the coverage ensures correct application and therefore protecting the skin from harmful rays. Following is a selection of the latest technology from ingredient suppliers giving formulators the opportunity to develop products with enhanced textures and sensory profiles.

Texture Analysis in the Advancement of Medical Products

Tissue engineering now plays an important role in the replacement, repair, maintenance, or enhancement of tissue function. The tissue engineering relates to the use of a “scaffold” combining with cells and biologically active molecules into functional tissues. The goal of tissue engineering is to generate new viable tissue by assembling functional constructs that are suitable for tissue formation. Many biomaterials have been applied to produce a scaffold which is an artificial structure that acts as a template for tissue formation and also as an optimum microenvironment for cell attachment, migration, proliferation and differentiation. The harvested cells attach onto the scaffold, so that it will migrate, multiply, grow and develop into tissue. In order to provide the proper microenvironment for the cells, the scaffold must be biocompatible and non-toxic with the cells. It must be biodegradable and have suitable mechanical strength, surface chemistry and high porosity.

Latest developments in the creation of new materials

A large portion of the plastic produced worldwide is used as packaging material, and only around 68% of the packaging bought by consumers is recycled, resulting in several tons of plastic ending up in the oceans each year. Because of these problems, the use of biopolymers as packaging material has become increasingly popular over the last few decades in the need to shift towards a greener alternative. Although natural biopolymers could be attractive alternatives to conventional plastic, generally, films made from biomaterials generally have low mechanical strength and poor barrier properties – compromising functional properties on the safety of the product being packaged.

Development of Plant-Based Seafood Analogs

Beyond Meat, New Wave Foods and Impossible Foods have all made swift progress in the textural optimisation of their plant-based seafood using a Stable Micro Systems Texture Analyser in their patents to get ahead in the game in this exciting new field. Plant-based alternatives that mimic seafood are cropping up at restaurants and grocery stores around the world and “cultivated” seafood grown in labs from real cells, is on the horizon.

For a number of reasons, there is an increasing global requirement to move from animal diets to plant-based ones.

How to measure woody breast texture

Consumer preference for poultry meat products has continued to increase during the past two decades. Despite selection practices substantially increasing growth rate, feed conversion, and muscle weight, an increase number of muscling myopathies affecting meat quality have arisen.

This research topic has been highlighted in the document Avian Muscle Development and Growth Mechanisms: Association with Muscle Myopathies and Meat Quality which focuses on muscle development and growth mechanisms, and how changes in the structure and biology of muscle are associated with avian muscle myopathies and meat quality.

Fortification of Bakery Products and its Effect on Texture

Fortification, the addition of certain bioactive or functional ingredients to food products to enhance their nutritional and therapeutic value, allows consumers to improve their nutrition without having to alter their eating habits. Bakery products are an excellent candidate for fortification. According to Euromonitor International, baked foods make up one of the largest packaged food categories, with global baked foods retail sales volume predicted to reach about 177 million tons by 2022.

Applying the Texture Analyser to the Dental Industry in Friction, Tension, Penetration and Adhesion

According to Statista, the global dental market is projected to grow to around 37 billion dollars by 2021, and current indicators show that the market will keep moving forward, primarily driven by the implant sector. Its success is due to progress in the fields of medical technologies and implant materials. Texture Analysis has an important role in the dental industry; this article contains some examples of dental research in recent years.

Applying the Texture Analyser to the Dental Industry in Compression, Flexure and Extrusion

According to Statista, the global dental market is projected to grow to around 37 billion dollars by 2021, and current indicators show that the market will keep moving forward, primarily driven by the implant sector. Its success is due to progress in the fields of medical technologies and implant materials. Texture Analysis has an important role in the dental industry; this article contains some examples of dental research in recent years.

A Texture Analyser is a very useful tool for the research and development associated with dental products and has the capability to perform both imitative and fundamental measurements.

Vertical Farming and the need for Texture Analysis

Indoor vertical farming has been around for quite some time, but leading companies in this industry are starting to gain a great deal of attention from the business press and investors are pouring money into the industry. As the world population continues to expand, so too does the amount of fruits and vegetables needed to feed the world. If we can’t create new farmland to accommodate the increase in fresh food required vertical farming can be part of the solution to this problem.

Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. It incorporates controlled-environment agriculture, which is a fancy way of saying that it provides protection and maintains optimal growing conditions throughout the development of the crop. It’s not just growing vegetables like we traditionally know – if you’re serious in this field, it’s a big data, high tech endeavour with staff consisting of chief technology officers, engineers, scientists and risk managers.

Texture: A standout theme in Food

No one can deny the importance of texture and mouthfeel in our enjoyment of food. As consumers, we have desired textural characteristics ingrained in our brain for each consumable that we eat. These characteristics are inherently linked to the perceived quality of a product. Soggy crackers, grainy chocolate, mushy apple – all would appear disappointing.

Texture Trends

According to Food Ingredients First 3 mega-trends are driving the increased interest in texture: plant-based, clean label and sugar reduction. These 3 health-driven trends are inspiring reformulation, and are forcing manufacturers to bring textures that are recognisable or exciting.

Measuring Soil Physical Properties with a Texture Analyser

Two of the most important properties of soil are texture and structure. Unlike the definition of ‘texture’ that describes a sample’s physical properties, soil texture is the relative proportion of sand, silt, and clay, and it affects the soil’s ability to hold onto water and nutrients. Soil structure refers to the aggregation of sand, silt, and clay into blocks of soil in various sizes and shapes. This has a significant influence on pore space in soil, and the ease of passage of water, air and roots.

The assessment of soil texture, structure, and other physical properties, is important for agricultural purposes to determine crop suitability and to predict the response of the soil to environmental and management conditions, such as fertiliser.¹  

Effect of storage on Texture: Dairy Products

Dairy products represent a very diversified class of foods from textural and structural standpoints. The effect of storage on their texture is outlined here, covering several key examples from the dairy industry.

Butter and Margarine
Structurally, both butter and margarine consist of a continuous fat phase, in which droplets of water and liquid fat as well as small fat crystals are dispersed. The fat in butter is derived from milk, whereas it is usually plant-based in margarine (so margarine is not a true dairy product). However, their texture and usage are so similar, they are considered together.

Effect of storage on Texture: Seafood

Fish

The main structural similarities between fish and meat are in the form of the muscle fibres. The major structures of the two are quite different, however. Unlike meat, fish flesh is composed of muscle sheets running head to tail on each side of body, divided into segments by perpendicular sheets of connective tissue. 

Cooked fish has a tender, delicate texture for two reasons. Firstly, fish flesh contains much less connective tissue than is found in warm-blooded animals, and secondly, contains more thermally unstable collagen, which liquefies on heating. This causes the structure to fall apart when force is applied, as the bonds caused by connective tissue are no longer present. Connective tissue properties influence the texture of raw fish, whereas cooked fish is influenced by muscle fibre properties.

Effect of storage on Texture: Dispersions, Emulsions and Colloidal Systems

Dispersions, emulsions, and colloidal systems undergo textural changes during storage as with any other food group, but the nature of these changes is different due to their unique structure. A dispersion is a two-phase system made up of a continuous and a dispersed phase. Colloids are a type of dispersion, but with a dispersed component too small to be detected under the light microscope. Emulsions are colloidal dispersions of liquids in liquids. The physicochemical laws and factors governing the stability of these systems are well known.

Texture Analysis of chocolate

In modern chocolate manufacturing, automated equipment has replaced the manual processes that traditionally relied largely on the experience and skill of the chocolatier. For quality control purposes and customer satisfaction, it is increasingly important to apply the correct processing conditions and controlling parameters, such as time, temperature, moisture content and the relative humidity of the surrounding air. The careful choice of these parameters will not only aid the manufacturing process, they will ensure a top quality product straight from the factory, and after a period of storage.

Using Texture Analysis in the development of products containing cannabis

CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, a product derived from cannabis, that is now widely sold in the UK and other countries around the world. Its properties are said to cause relaxation and relief from pain, nausea and anxiety. Seven in ten consumers believe that CBD offers health benefits including pain management, reduced anxiety, relaxation and reduced inflammation, according to the Natural Marketing Institute’s 2020 Whole Cannabis Study.

Until recently, CBD was available in forms with a pharmaceutical emphasis, such as tablet supplements, skin gels, vapes or combined with a base oil such as coconut or olive. However, increased consumer awareness of CBD has opened the doors to a plethora of new dosage forms. Edibles are projected to be the fastest growing category of CBD-containing consumer products sold in mainstream retail outlets by 2024, adding $5.7 billion in revenue by that year, per IRI/BDS Analytics.