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.

Yvonne Kuiper is a doctoral candidate researching how the brain responds to food texture in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland.“By researching which brain regions are involved in experiencing food texture, we can build a map of how pleasurable textures, especially fat texture, in combination with a delicious taste, triggers connections between brain regions and increases our reward responses.”

Meanwhile, Ole Mouritsen, a professor of gastrophysics at the University of Copenhagen works on the connection between texture and taste in food. “What I noticed, and also learned, is that most complaints about food are about texture. People may grumble that a dish has too little or too much salt, he notes, but that’s generally where discussions of taste end. It’s more typical for diners to bemoan that a piece of meat isn’t as tender as they’d hoped, or that their fries are soggy instead of crisp.”

‘Low-in’ boom to continue

A lot of research has been carried out showing the possibility of successfully replacing (both at technological and sensory levels) less healthy ingredients (e.g. salt, sugar, fat) with others that are nutritionally better. The challenge is to combine these better components in any given product, as well as to evaluate possible interactions among them. These interactions can to lead to alterations to the product’s texture. Biscuit hardness might change, measured using a penetration test; dough properties can be affected, measured using a Warburtons Dough Stickiness System; or final product volume may be altered, which a manufacturer would be able to monitor using a Volscan Profiler. Read more about Texture Measurement of Low-In Foods

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.

Reducing the fat content and energy value of a food product implies the application of an adequate fat substitute. Ideal fat substitutes should have all the functional characteristics of lipids, but also lower energy value, preferably 0 kcal/g. The functional properties that a fat substitute should have are sensory properties (odour and taste) and rheological properties (viscosity, consistency, texture).

Texture Analysis is a mandatory stage in the Research and Development of ingredient-substituted products, when texture can be altered by the addition of different quantities of ingredients, and must be measured after each iteration of ingredient or process modifications.

Fortified and ‘free-from’ foods

With consumers constantly searching for healthier options in their food, bakery manufacturers are looking to improve the nutrient profile of their products. Read more about Texture Measurement of Fortified Foods

Free-from food sales continue to remain influenced by a range of factors, including rising consumer awareness on food allergies and intolerances, and upward trend of health, wellness and (in the case of palm oil) environmental concerns. Absence of effective treatment for food allergies and intolerance has been complementing the adoption of free-from food among consumers worldwide. A key challenge faced by the free-from food manufacturers is sustainable sourcing of naturally-derived ingredients and preservatives, which are devoid of allergens, while retaining the taste and texture of food using effective processing technologies. Read more about Texture Measurement of ‘Free-from’ Foods

Consistent, objective measurement is vital for informing reformulation and new product development, in addition to maintaining high quality standards. To read more about the texture of reformulated food products, request our article

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.XTplusC 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!

Get in touch to discuss your specific test requirements