Abstract
ABSTRACTThis research assessed the relations between sensory and instrumental measures of the texture of solid foods when using a panel with previous knowledge of material science and fracture mechanics. Twelve commercial products varying in texture were evaluated by two panels; one panel was comprised of 11 engineering students who were familiar with material science, and a descriptive analysis panel of 15 experienced trained panelists. The engineering panel evaluated the products for attributes of hardness, stiffness, brittleness, viscoelasticity and toughness, while the descriptive panel evaluated the samples using terms generated through free choice profiling. Analysis of the data showed that texture evaluations of the products were consistent between the two panels. Certain mechanical properties such as hardness and stiffness were closely related to instrumental measures. However, other measures such as toughness were not well correlated with instrumental measures.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe applications of this research are twofold. First, this research shows that panelists, regardless of experience, use similar words with similar meanings during the assessment of texture of solid foods. Second, this research also more closely aligns sensory measures with material science by showing that sensory scores may be related to instrumental measures of texture in various ways. Sensory properties, such as hardness and stiffness, can be directly measured using a material science approach. Indirect relations between sensory panel scores and instrumental measurements may also exist, e.g., between crisp and crunchy. Lastly, instrumental measures may not adequately measure sensory perception of textures, particularly those related to toughness and viscoelasticity.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call