Exploring the rich tapestry of Indian food textures: A texture analysis perspective

Indian cuisine is a vibrant mosaic of flavours, aromas, and, crucially, an incredibly diverse range of textures. From the crisp snap of a fresh poppadum to the yielding softness of a gulab jamun, and the complex mouthfeel of a creamy curry, texture plays a pivotal role in the sensory experience and consumer acceptance of Indian dishes. Understanding and quantifying these unique textural properties is essential for product development, quality control, and ensuring consistency across batches.

At Stable Micro Systems, we appreciate that the nuanced textures of Indian food present fascinating challenges and opportunities for precise measurement. Let's delve into some classic examples and explore how modern texture analysis can illuminate their distinctive characteristics.

Understanding the difference between materials testing and texture analysis

When we dive into the world of product development and quality control, we often encounter two crucial yet distinct concepts: materials testing and texture analysis. While both play vital roles in ensuring product quality, understanding their differences can significantly impact how we approach product development and quality assurance. Let's explore why you should care about these distinctions and how they can benefit your work.

Purpose and application area

Texture Analysers are designed for consumer-focused testing of soft materials and commonly test varied, less standardised materials like food and cosmetics, while Materials Testing Machines are built for engineering evaluation of structural materials like metals and polymers which require standardised sample preparation (e.g. according to ASTM/ISO standards). However whilst comparison is made using typical examples below, it is important to note that, force range allowing, both instruments can often be used for similar applications.

Texture vs viscosity: Understanding their roles and differences

When it comes to food science and sensory analysis, texture and viscosity are two fundamental attributes and while these terms are often used interchangeably, they describe different properties and behaviours of food. 

Why should you care about texture?

• It signals freshness and quality. That snap when you bite into a fresh vegetable or the tenderness of a perfectly cooked steak tells you a lot about the food's condition.
• It enhances flavour perception. The way food breaks down in your mouth can intensify or mute flavours, directly impacting your overall enjoyment.
• It adds excitement to your meals. Varied textures can make eating more interesting and satisfying, preventing food boredom.

Rheology vs. texture: Understanding the differences and their importance

When it comes to understanding the physical properties of materials, particularly in food science and cosmetics, two critical concepts often come into play: rheology and texture. While these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they shape everyday experiences from how smoothly your lotion spreads to how satisfyingly crunchy your chips are and refer to distinct aspects of material properties. Let’s delve into the differences between rheology and texture, their significance, and how they are applied in various industries.

Understand chewiness/bite force graphs

Whether it's the satisfying resistance of a chewy granola bar or the clean snap of a crisp vegetable, bite force influences mouthfeel, satisfaction, and overall enjoyment. These mechanical properties help define product identity — a chewy sweet should stretch and resist breaking easily, while a firm meat alternative must provide a consistent bite. Measuring chewiness and bite force provides manufacturers with essential data for ensuring product quality, replicating desired textures, and aligning with consumer expectations across a range of applications.

Using a range of blade options which attach to the arm of the instrument, this is a property where the Texture Analyser excels in measurement. Exponent software controls the distance that the blade comes down onto/into the sample to achieve the ‘biting’ action, as if the teeth were in alignment, hence mimicking the action of a consumer.

Learn how to fully understand an adhesion graph

Stickiness/adhesion is a common textural and physical property that is possessed by a wide range of products including food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products and, of course, adhesives and adhesive tapes. Testing this property is key to understanding, manipulating and controlling the performance or enjoyment of a product whether it is eaten, spread on the skin or used as an important everyday tool or medical requirement. Stickiness/adhesiveness/bioadhesion can be a highly desirable requirement of a product or can be a negative undesirable property.

This is a property where the Texture Analyser excels in measurement. Exponent software has a unique test (the Adhesive Test) which allows the control of force that a probe comes down onto the sample to achieve a controlled bonding between the two surfaces for a chosen period of time. After this bonding preparation stage the probe withdraws and the adhesion properties to separate the two surfaces is measured.

Controlling your sample testing environment

Samples such as gels, confectionery, waxes and high fat or oil content products are very temperature critical and as such careful equilibrating and stabilising of testing temperature need to be considered to provide reproducible comparative texture analysis results.

Stable Micro Systems solve these temperature associated problems by offering a range of temperature control solutions to suit various temperature range and testing dimension requirements.

Weigh as you test using your Texture Analyser

For product developers and manufacturers, precision in testing is critical. The Dynamic Integrated Balance, compatible with Stable Micro Systems' Connect and Plus range of Texture Analysers, provides simultaneous force and weight measurement. This innovation opens new possibilities in understanding how products perform during real-world usage.

The power of simultaneous measurements

Imagine being able to measure not only the force required to actuate a soap/condiment dispenser but also the exact amount of product delivered with every press. The Dynamic Integrated Balance enables just that by combining dynamic weighing with physical testing. With data collected at 500 points per second, you gain insights into: