Why we need controlled failure

We live in a world obsessed by perfection.  Everything is supposed to be better if it’s shiny, defect-free and stronger than a Sherman tank. 

But be careful what you wish for, because a flawless world wouldn’t work nearly as well. Imperfections are tools, and we would be lost without them.  

Of course, flaws are not always convenient.

Imagine bending a long thin object, like a bar of chocolate. If the chocolate has flat surfaces, each side is stretched evenly. It’s hard to break, but if you put a notch in it the section of chocolate just underneath also has to do the job of the bit you’ve taken out. The chocolate will break at the notch. It’s not because it’s thinner at that point but because the sharp point of the notch concentrates the force in a very small area.

In a flawless object the stress you put on a material by pushing, stretching, bending and twisting is relatively evenly spread. Features like notches, voids and tiny cracks make the pattern of stress more complicated, concentrating the stress in some bits and relieving it in others. If you could see stress as colours, every object you pushed on would suddenly light up with bands of colour and the flaws would be tiny pinpoints of dazzlingly bright light. Those pinpoints are vulnerable, overloaded already, they can’t take much more.

Effect of Storage on Texture: Baked Goods

Bread

When bread goes stale, the major factor that puts a consumer off is the change in texture, although flavour changes also occur. 

 

The textural changes during bread staling, and the processes that drive them, have been outlined in detail in a previous series of blog posts. The exact process of staling is not well understood despite a large amount of research into this topic.

Staling begins as soon as baking ends, and it becomes detectable to the consumer as early as a few hours after baking. Bread staling presents itself as reduced springiness and reduced crumb softness, both of which can be measured using a firmness measurement with a cylinder probe on a TA.XTplus Texture Analyser.

 

Additionally, the mouthfeel of both dryness and crumbliness increases, and the crust becomes tougher and less crisp. This change occurs due to moisture movement from the crumb to the crust, but changes to the contained starch molecules are also a major cause.

Effect of storage on texture: Fruit

When a food product is stored, its texture will change in any number of ways, almost always decreasing the product’s quality. 

 

A high shelf life is useful in the eyes of the manufacturer, and understanding the processes behind food degradation in storage is key to improving this shelf life, where possible.

Texture has its roots in the structure of food, from the molecular to macroscopic levels, and understanding the changes to the food on each of these levels helps to explain the texture changes that occur during storage.

Paper and Cardboard Testing with a Texture Analyser – Part 3

Reliable Testing for Packaging and Print

Tensile Test
Example standard: ASTM D828

Tensile testing is applied to paper products for various reasons to assess strength in use; standards such as ASTM D828 cover the methods required to measure the tensile properties of paper and paperboard. Tensile tests are used for combined corrugated board but not as frequently as bending, compression and puncture.

Paper and Cardboard Testing with a Texture Analyser – Part 2

Reliable Testing for Packaging and Print 

Pin Adhesion Test
Example standard: TAPPI T821

Another factor that controls the quality of corrugated board is the strength of adhesion between the corrugating medium and its facings. This adhesion can be measured directly using a ‘pin adhesion test’, where pin adhesion is the force to separate the two components. In this test, pins are inserted between the facing and fluted medium, then attached to rigs connected to the loading arm and base. The rigs are pulled apart at constant speed until the facing is separated from the flute tips. Separation of all bond lines is not necessary. This test assesses the quality of the bond formed when the board was combined, and can be used to detect some manufacturing defects such as poor adhesive penetration and spotty adhesive application.

Paper and Cardboard Testing with a Texture Analyser – Part 1

Reliable Testing for Packaging and Print

 

Corrugated cardboard is used all over the world for strong, cheap and light recyclable packaging.

It is made up of a fluted interior sandwiched between linerboards. Variations include a linerboard on only one face, or several stacked layers. It is generally made into cardboard boxes, although occasionally used in sheet form for strengthening or insulation purposes. Most boxmakers perform a wide range of tests on their products as well as the components used to make them. Many boxes are made to certain customers’ demands, and the aim of these tests is to maximise strength (meeting the customer’s needs) while minimising costs from component materials and weight.

 

How Consumers measure Texture – from first sight to swallow

Food texture plays a significant role in how consumers experience the foods andbeverages that they consume and in their preferences. 

 

Whilst we might think that taste is the key driver, texture is actually our first, and often our lasting, impression of the food we eat and is deeply entangled within other sensory properties. According to Ingredion, texture impacts other sensory modalities, even if consumers aren’t aware of it. The overall taste experience is influenced by texture when food and beverages are consumed.

Designing the Perfect Texture and keeping track of it

Texture is playing more pronounced roles in product development and creating new and just-right textures can be a new territory for product formulators trying to ensure the best eating experience for consumers. 

We eat with our eyes, nose, tongue, and ears, so in order to gain maximum enjoyment and pleasure from our food, all of the sensory attributes must be in harmony.