Texture Analysis in Research: Latest Packaging Innovations

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology have been investigating 3D printing of grinding and milling fractions of rice husk. 

 

With the aim of sustainability approaches and production of designer 3D food packages, this study examined the effect of printability of rice husk fractions of different size reduction methods. Extrusion tests were performed for both the rice husk fractions, and 3D printing process parameters were optimised for the ‘box’ shaped 3D model. Rheological behaviour and physical characteristics were analysed for all the material supplies. 

 

They used their TA.HDplus Texture Analyser to measure the mechanical strength of the material supply and the effect of the addition of hydrocolloids. The study successfully demonstrated the conversion of non-printable rice husk into a printable form by the addition of guar gum into the milled fraction, which can be further utilised in food packaging, reducing the dependency on non-degradable petroleum-based plastics. Find out more

Texture Analysis in the 3D Printing Industry

In the 3D printing process, a physical object is produced from a 3D digital model. This generally occurs by the laying down of successive thin layers of material to bring the digital model to life.

The steps involved in this process will vary depending on the type of printer and the raw materials involved, but generally they are as follows:

1: A 3D model is created using a modelling package or 3D scanner, saved as a Computer Aided Design (CAD) file

2: The user slices the CAD file and uploads it to the printer

3: The printer reads and creates each 2D slice to form a 3D object

Texture Analysis: A tool in the fight against cancer

“More than 40 years after the war on cancer was declared, we have spent billions fighting the good fight. The National Cancer Institute has spent some $90 billion on research and treatment during that time.

"Some 260 nonprofit organisations in the United States have dedicated themselves to cancer — more than the number established for heart disease, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, and stroke combined. Together, these 260 organisations have budgets that top $2.2 billion.” (Dr Margaret Cuomo, A World Without Cancer)

A large proportion of people donate to the world’s cancer research movement either directly or by running sponsored marathons, holding charity bake sales, charity shopping or by countless other indirect donation routes. However, the average donor gives their money with full trust to cancer research charities that it will be spent wisely. Charities publish their annual expenditure breakdown, but unless a donor regularly reads research articles, it can be difficult to understand the specifics of cancer research.

This blog post gives several examples of recent cancer research from around the world, and the role that Texture Analysis has to play.

Texture Analysis: A tool to help the development of new food products from byproducts

In a linear economy we ‘take’ raw materials from the environment, ‘make’ something, ‘use’ or don’t use it, and finally ‘dispose’ of it. 

 

For example: in a supermarket, food that is still good but needs to be removed from shelves – often due to inventory or overstock reasons – typically heads to the landfill. We need to adopt a new approach to avoid this wasteful situation that challenges economies across the globe. A circular approach – reuse, recycle, remake, redistribute – aims to ensure zero food waste in the food chain. 

 

Aside from the waste associated with retailers and consumers there is a growing interest in the potential use of food manufacture by-products and how they can be reintroduced into the manufacture of new products. This would not only reduces waste but also provides a nutrient recycling opportunity and establishes a more efficient and sustainable food supply chain.

Effect of storage on Texture: Meat

Texture is the main quality characteristic of meat, affecting price and consumer acceptance.

Tenderness and juiciness are the main textural parameters that affect a consumer’s enjoyment in general. 

Tenderness refers to the force needed to yield the meat during chewing, and the energy needed to masticate it to the point of swallowing. Juiciness refers to the type and amount of liquid released during mastication. Some specific meat products have a different textural priority, such as the chewiness exhibited by beef jerky.

A large amount of research has been dedicated to understanding the texture of meat. However, the detailed mechanism of tenderisation is still not fully understood. Tenderness is known to be influenced by properties of the raw material, such as animal breed and age, muscle contraction, amount of connective tissue, ripening and its cooking method.

Effect of storage on Texture: Vegetables

From the point of view of texture, vegetables represent a very diverse group of products.

 

They can be consumed in many different textural forms. For instance, cooked asparagus is soft, fibrous and pulpy, cucumber is crisp, firm and juicy, raw carrots are hard and crisp, and cooked peas are soft and mealy. The tissue structure in each case determines the texture as received by the consumer.

Fresh vegetables

As opposed to fruits, which are generally picked when mature but unripe, many vegetables (apart from legume seeds, tubers, bulbs and roots) are picked and consumed when still immature, tender and succulent. This is largely due to the fact that while fruits generally soften on maturation and storage, young vegetables become tougher when they age. This toughening is due to the lignification of the primary cell wall and formation of the secondary cell wall.

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.