The Effect of Storage on Food Texture

The effect of storage on the textural properties of foodstuffs is very diverse and varies with the product type and storage conditions.

Shelf-life studies are often used to test the emulsion stability of salad dressing and the staling properties of baked goods, as well as the integrity of packaging films, to cite a few examples. For some products, such as meat, controlled storage has a beneficial (tenderising) effect. For others, such as fruit that is picked mature but unripe, storage develops proper (softer) texture followed by its deterioration.

For still others, storage is always detrimental, but the rate of deterioration varies from very rapid (e.g. bread) to very slow (e.g. butter). With ripened cheeses, storage is part of processing that develops proper flavour and texture.

An Indian Banquet with Perfect Texture

Indian food is rich, creamy and spicy, with comforting sauces and side dishes of interesting and varied texture.

A consumer acts almost like a Texture Analyser while they are eating a meal. They are constantly sensing force and breaking points with their hands while they tear food and even more so inside their mouths while they bite, crunch and chew. To ensure they have a satisfying experience, it is important to make sure these forces are all at the optimum level.

Global Baking Ingredients Market to Grow – get ready to perfect your texture

According to MarketReportsWorld.com, analysts forecast the Global Baking Ingredients Market to Grow at 5.68% CAGR during the Period 2017-2021.

With growth potential comes the need to secure the quality of your product to ensure that customers will continue to purchase your products over your competitors. If you don’t have any quantitative quality control in place already perhaps it’s time to understand how it would work for you.

A Chinese Meal with Texture Fit for an Emperor

Chinese food is very varied in terms of texture, colour and flavour, ranging from sweet and sticky dishes to crispy, chewy and very spicy, with golden noodles and vibrant sauces.

Stable Micro Systems can provide a wide range of testing solutions for measuring the texture of every component of a Chinese meal.

A spring roll may be delivered to the table first as a delicious starter, followed by a course of aromatic crispy duck with pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumber and spring onions. 

Talking texture: The importance of a common language

Designing a food product will at some stage require a description of the desirable attributes of the finished product. 

When it comes to a taste panel consumers might include words such as gloopy, mushy or thickness but a company developing a new product needs to know exactly what consumers mean by those terms in order to target particular characteristics.

Establishing a common language to describe textural terms is vital to product development. Product developers need to decide upon the exact meaning of words that are used to describe their products (such as creamy, brittle, resilient).  

Perfecting the Texture of an Italian Meal

Italian food is well known for its beautiful splashes of colour from basil, tomatoes and saffron, and delivering fresh flavours.


It is also very satisfying in terms of its texture; there is a wide range of textures ranging from delicately soft and creamy to crunchy, crispy and stretchy. A manufacturer of Italian food may perform many different quality control tests on their products to ensure textures are consistent and within acceptable ranges that may have been determined by sensory panels or customer feedback.

Physical Properties of Wet Pet Food

There are obvious differences between the processes of quality control in the human and pet food industries, the main one being the lack of feedback from the pet sensory panel. 

However, quick rejection of undesirable food provides enough motivation for pet owners and pet food manufacturers alike to provide animals with the correct food.

Wet foods make up the majority of products sold in pet shops, consisting of meat and liver with a range of other ingredients. The textures are solid, puréed, shredded, cuts, cubes and blends of human food ingredients. These are much more palatable than dry foods to most cats and dogs - neither dogs nor cats are drawn to sticky foods but both show a preference for wet food rather than dry.

Physical Properties of Dry Pet Food

Dry pet food makes up a large share of the ever expanding pet care market, and manufacturers are keeping up with this trend by sinking more of their R&D budget into quality control and physical testing.

For a manufacturer to turn a profit, safe products that pet owners want to buy must be made and sold at a price they are willing to pay. Pet food production must be cost-effective, sustainable, meet food safety requirements and produce appetising, nutritious products for owners to feed their pets. 

High levels of physical quality are important down through the whole supply chain – manufacturer, retailer, pet owner and pet all benefit from careful texture analysis. Texture analysis is important for process control, quality control and product development as well as process efficiency (reducing extruder power consumption).