Texture Of Snacks Research Articles

Correlation between Physical properties and sensory evaluation of Extruded Phyto-snack.

Background: Snack products are ubiquitous in modern dietary habits, and their sensory attributes play a critical role in consumer preferences. The texture of snacks, characterized by fracturability, hardness, and chewiness, influences consumer acceptance. This study focuses on investigating the interplay between the physical properties of an extruded snack product and its sensory attributes. Objectives: to explore the potential correlations between these texture profiles and sensory attributes. Method: Texture profile analysis (TPA) was employed to measure the snack's fracturability, hardness, and chewiness. A panel of 100 participants was engaged in sensory evaluation, using a hedonic scale to rate the snack's attributes. Pearson's correlation coefficient was employed to investigate potential associations between the texture profile and sensory attributes. Results: the physical properties, including Fracturability (35.266±0.58 N), Hardness (52.611±0.73 N), and Chewiness (15.89±3.36), were determined through Texture Profile Analysis (TPA). Concurrently, sensory attributes were evaluated by a panel of 100 untrained assessors. The sensory ratings for Fracturability (4.58±0.87), Hardness (4.21±0.98), Chewiness (3.87±1.25), Appearance (4.30±1.06), Overall Tasting (4.15±0.61), Overall Liking (4.56±0.94), and Overall Acceptance (4.40±1.31) provide valuable insights into the product's sensory appeal. The correlation values between the TPA data and sensory attributes of the extruded snack product. Pearson's correlation coefficients reveal significant relationships between physical properties and sensory attributes. Notably, Fracturability exhibits a strong positive correlation with Fracturability in sensory evaluation (r = 0.776, p < 0.05). Similarly, Hardness demonstrates moderate positive correlations with both Fracturability (r = 0.452, p < 0.05) and Chewiness (r = 0.687, p < 0.05), while Chewiness is moderately correlated with Fracturability (r = 0.634, p < 0.05) and Hardness (r = 0.769, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings provide valuable insights for the food industry, emphasizing optimizing texture characteristics to enhance snack products' sensory appeal and satisfy consumer preferences.

The Effect of Maltodextrin Concentration and Roasting Time on the Physicochemical and Sensory Characteristics of Nori Snack Made from Sea Grape (Caulerpa sp.)

Nori snack is dried edible seaweed, which is made from drying and roasting so its texture is crispy and thin. Commercial nori snack is usually made from Porphyra seaweed which cannot be cultivated in Indonesia. Sea grapes (Caulerpa sp.), a local seaweed that is widely cultivated in Indonesia, have the potential to be used as an alternative material for nori snacks. The formation of nori with the addition of Eucheuma cottonii gives a nori snack texture that tends to be elastic and less crunchy. Crispness is the main parameter to consider in choosing nori snacks. The addition of maltodextrin as a texture enhancer is needed to give a compact and crispy texture, and roasting time can also increase the level of crispness in nori products. This study aims to determine the physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics of sea grape nori snacks (Caulerpa sp.). Factorial completely randomized design (CDR) with two factors. Factor I was the maltodextrin concentration (1, 2, and 3%), while factor II was a roasting time (1, 2, and 3 minutes) and two replications. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and followed by Duncan’s New Multiple Range Test (DNMRT) at the 5% significance level. The best treatment was the addition of 3% maltodextrin and a roasting time of 3 minutes. The results obtained were a moisture content of 6.13%, ash content of 12.45%, protein content of 17,07%, a yield of 6.22%, a breaking strength of 5.23%, and an average score of preference for the aroma of 2.8 (dislike), the colour of 3.5 (standard), the taste of 4.05 (like), and crispness of 4.10 (like).

X-Ray microtomography imaging of red lentil puffed snacks: Processing conditions, microstructure and texture

Red lentils have a great potential to be used as healthy ingredients in puffed snacks due to their excellent nutritional qualities. However, these types of ingredients with relatively higher protein and fiber content when compared to ingredients that are typically used for the manufacture of puffed foods (e.g., refined cereal flours/starches) result in inferior textural quality. Extrusion processing parameters such as screw speed, moisture content and injection pressure of a blowing agent can be manipulated to optimize the microstructure of an extrudate, and as a consequence the texture of the final puffed product. In this study, X-Ray microtomography imaging is used to characterize and quantify the detailed microstructure of red lentil extrudates. The results indicate that an increase in the injected pressure of the physical blowing agent could be correlated with a decrease in mean cell size and wall thickness, as well as an increase in the number of cells. Evidence of wall rupture with an increased screw speed is also visible, and that effect can be counterbalanced by a higher moisture content during processing. A large variation of the cell wall thickness inside an extrudate (which can induce a weaker cellular structure) as well as a larger cell size and higher amount of wall rupture, significantly reduce the hardness of extrudates. This novel effort to quantitatively characterize the microstructure of red lentil extrudates using X-Ray microtomography establishes that an optimal product texture could, in principle, be achieved by manipulating extrusion parameters to achieve the perfect snack texture.

Texture Preferences of Chinese, Korean and US Consumers: A Case Study with Apple and Pear Dried Fruits.

The present study aimed to understand the drivers of liking dried apple and pear chips with various textures among Chinese (n = 58), Korean (n = 58), and US (n = 56) consumers. The possibility of hedonic transfer from snack texture preferences to fruit-chip texture preferences was also investigated among Chinese and Koreans. Fourteen fruit-chip samples with four textural properties (crispy, puffy, soft, and jelly-like) were selected. Consumers rated their level of liking for each sample, and then they performed hedonic-based projective mapping with the same samples. In the hedonic texture transfer investigation, consumers rated their acceptance of nine snacks with various textures but possessing similar textures to those of dried fruit samples. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and multiple factor analysis. Most consumers disliked samples with a soft or jelly-like texture, while liked samples with a crispy texture. Cross-cultural differences were observed in the liking of puffy samples, with both Chinese and Koreans liking puffy samples as much as crispy ones for their melting characteristics in the mouth, while US consumers perceived the puffy samples as being Styrofoam-like and disliked them. Hedonic transfer was observed from snack texture preferences to fruit-chip. Individual texture preferences for snacks seem to significantly affect the texture preferences for fruit chips.

Snack Texture Estimation System Using a Simple Equipment and Neural Network Model

Texture evaluation is manually performed in general, and such analytical tasks can get cumbersome. In this regard, a neural network model is employed in this study. This paper describes a system that can estimate the food texture of snacks. The system comprises a simple equipment unit and an artificial neural network model. The equipment simultaneously examines the load and sound when a snack is pressed. The neural network model analyzes the load change and sound signals and then outputs a numerical value within the range (0,1) to express the level of textures such as “crunchiness” and “crispness”. Experimental results validate the model’s capacity to output moderate texture values of the snacks. In addition, we applied the convolutional neural network (CNN) model to classify snacks and the capability of the CNN model for texture estimation is discussed.

Ancient Whole Grain Gluten‐Free Buckwheat Snacks

Four kinds of whole grain Buckwheat snacks (gluten‐free, low in fat and salt) were evaluated. The snacks were Buckwheat, Buckwheat‐Turmeric, Buckwheat‐Pepper and Buckwheat‐Ginger. Turmeric and Ginger are very common ingredients of Asian cuisines. Turmeric and ginger have been reported to have health promoting potential, as increase blood flow and prevent joint pain. All the snacks contained 6% corn oil and 2% salt. Snack dough was prepared using 120 mL water for 100 g dry ingredients. About 22 g of snack dough was placed on each side of preheated KrumKake Baker and cooked for 1.75 minutes. Seventy one in‐house volunteers judged Buckwheat‐Ginger snacks significantly higher in Odor/Aroma than Buckwheat‐Pepper snacks. Color/Appearance, Taste/Flavor, Texture/Mouth‐feel and Acceptance were judged to be similar in four kinds of Buckwheat snacks tested. Water activity of all the snacks tested ranged from 0.21–0.32 suggesting that these snacks were crispy and would have good microbial stability. These snacks were quite filling due to their expansion of 3–4 times resulting in high porosity. There were significant differences in color but not in texture of snacks tested. Acceptance of snacks tested was Buckwheat 84%, Buckwheat‐Turmeric 80%, Buckwheat‐Pepper 73% and Buckwheat‐Ginger 70%. These snacks contained only 3–4 ingredients and could be made in any house kitchen or commercial production. Acceptance of 70–84% is very desirable. These healthy nutritious snacks offer choice for all including individuals sensitive to gluten.Support or Funding InformationUSDA‐ARS Base funding

Filler functionality in edible solid foams

We review the functionality of particulate ingredients in edible brittle foams, such as expanded starchy snacks. In food science and industry there is not a complete awareness of the full functionality of these filler ingredients, which can be fibers, proteins, starch granules and whole grains. But, we show that much can be learned about that from the field of synthetic polymeric foams with (nano)fillers. For edible brittle foams the enhancement of mechanical strength by filler ingredients is less relevant compared to the additional functionalities such as 1) the promotion of bubble nucleation and 2) cell opening—which are much more relevant for the snack texture. The survey of particulate ingredients added to snack formulations shows that they cannot be viewed as inert fillers, because of their strong hygroscopic properties. Hence, these fillers will compete with starch for water, and that will modify the glass transition and boiling point, which are important factors for snack expansion. Filler properties can be modified via extrusion, but it is better if that processing step is decoupled from the subsequent processing steps as mixing and expansion. Several filler ingredients are also added because of their nutritional value, but can have adverse effect on snack expansion. These adverse effects can be reduced if the increase of nutritional value is decoupled from other filler functionality via compartmentalization using micropellets.

Baked snack from green apples formulated with the addition of isomalt

The objectives of this study were: to develop a crispy snack with the addition of isomalt and maltodextrin, to assess physical, chemical and sensory properties and to evaluate the stability during storage and after being conditioned at different relative humidities. Isomalt, produced by reducing isomaltulose (6-O-α-d-glucopyranosyl-d-fructofuranose) is used in food products as a noncariogenic nutritive sweetener. Its use had a protective effect on the apple tissue submitted to high temperatures since the snack had good quality attributes and also preserved the added ascorbic acid during the baking process. Isotherms showed a resistant behavior pattern in regions of low aw, but on exceeding 0.7 of aw the moisture content increased dramatically. Similar trends were followed by snack texture and Tg.

Texture profile and correlation between sensory and instrumental analyses on extruded snacks

Instrumental texture analysis on extruded snacks is widely applied, however there is no scientific consensus about the test and probe types that can be correlated with the sensory texture of snacks. Eleven commercial extruded snacks of different shapes were evaluated instrumentally using different probes and sensorially through descriptive analysis. The snack texture was described using the attributes of hardness, crispness, adhesiveness, fracturability and chewiness. Cylindrical snacks were described through crispness and fracturability, pelleted and shell-shaped snacks by chewiness and ring-shaped snacks by adhesiveness and hardness. Hardness and adhesiveness were correlated with a Warner–Bratzler test using a “V” shape probe (r=0.718 and r=0.763, respectively), while fracturability and chewiness were correlated with a Warner–Bratzler test using a guillotine (r=0.776 and r=0.662, respectively). The fairly strong good correlations enable application of these instrumental tests as an indication of the sensory texture of extruded snacks.

FRACTURE BEHAVIOR AND MECHANISM OF PUFFED CEREAL DURING COMPRESSION

ABSTRACT Texture of puffed cereals was determined to develop an instrumental method and to provide a mechanism of compaction under compressive stress. A model solidlike puffed rice at different moisture contents (2.0–8.5%) was subjected to compression testing to determine the fracture/failure characteristics. The force–deformation curves showed three zones and two firmnesses during compression. The different textural parameters were sensitive to moisture content above 6%. The microstructure of puffed rice consisted of many closed air cells having thin cell walls (10–15 µm) while a compressed sample showed breaking of cell walls with simultaneous development of fracture lines. A mechanism of compaction or failure at macromolecular level for puffed rice has been proposed based on texture data and microstructure. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONThe acceptance of a snack food largely depends on the texture which in turn is related to fracture characteristics. The present paper offers a general method for determining the texture of snacks and similar brittle food products. The developed indices can describe the texture of a snack food. The mechanism of failure, developed in the present work, can also be applied for low‐density foods and for prediction of their behavior during compression.