Textural Complexity is a Food Property – Shown Using Model Foods

Figures & data

TABLE 1 Formulation of gel-based model food samples

	LC	MC		HC
Ingredients (g)	G-A	G-A	CD	G-A	CD	AD	HD
Agar	10	10	5	10	5	8	—
Gelatine	20	20	30	20	30	—	—
Sugar	20	20	20	20	20	20	—
Water	100	100	35	100	35	100	43
Glucose syrup	—	—	50	—	50	—	—
Modified starch	—	—	2	—	2	—	—
Gluten flour	—	—	—	—	—	—	100
Citric acid	—	—	0.25	—	0.25	—	—
Flavoring	1	1	—	1	—	—	—
Whole poppy seeds	—	—	—	—	15	—	—
Ground poppy seeds	1.7	—	15	—	—	—	—
Whole sunflower seeds	—	—	—	*	—	—	—
Ground sunflower seeds	7.6	7.6	—	—	—	—	—
Total	160.3	158.6	157.25	151	157.25	128	143

Key: G-A: gelatine-agar encasing mixture; CD: chewy disc; AD: agar disc; HD: hard disc;

*6 sunflower seeds were inserted in each HC sample (arrangement shown Fig. 1).

FIGURE 1 Photographs and diagrams of the LC, MC, and HC samples showing the layered arrangement. LC: low complexity; MC: medium complexity; HC: high complexity; G-A: gelatine-agar; CD: chewy disc; AD: agar disc; HD: hard disc; SS: sunflower seeds; PS: poppy seeds; The samples are colored for distinction of layers, they were not colored during any of the experiments referred to in this text.

TABLE 2 Nutrition information for LC, MC, and HC gel-based model foods

Nutrition information gel-based model food
	Average quantity per serving			Average quantity per 100 g
Samplesample weightserving size (piece)	LC8.12 ± 0.321	MC8.38 ± 0.331	HC8.07 ± 0.241	LC	MC	HC
Energy (kJ)	50 (11.9 Cal)	56 (13.4 Cal)	56 (13.4 Cal)	615	665	694
Protein (g)	1.0	1.1	0.9	12.3	12.8	11.5
Fat, total (g)	0.2	0.2	0.3	3.0	2.7	3.0
–saturated (g)	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.3
Carbohydrate (g)	1.4	1.7	1.9	17.9	20.8	23.1
–sugars (g)	1.0	1.2	1.1	13	14.6	14.1
Sodium (mg)	4.0	5.0	4.0	48	56	51

TABLE 3 Descriptors and food examples for visual intensity scales as used during modified TP

Scale		Low	Medium	High
Descriptors	Adhesiveness	Vegetable oil	Marshmallow	Peanut butter
	Cohesiveness	Corn muffin	Dried fruit	Chewing gum
	Fracturability	Corn muffin	Ginger snap	Hard candy
	Hardness/Firmness	Cream cheese	Frankfurter sausage	Hard candy
	Roughness	Jelly	Potato chips	Cracker
	Springiness	Cream cheese	Marshmallow	Gelatine dessert/jelly
	Cohesiveness of Mass	Liquorice	Frankfurter sausage	Dough
	Denseness	Whipped cream	Malted milk ball	Fruit jelly
	Moisture Absorption	Liquorice	Potato chip	Cracker
	Meltability	Bread	Chocolate	Ice cream
	Awareness of Particles	Cream cheese	Apple	Biscuit
	Persistence of Crunch	Meringue	Peanut	Hard candy(chewing only)
	Tooth stick	Whipped cream	Cracker	Nougat

After descriptors have been chosen the intensity anchors are used as a reference point for each descriptor. Table adapted from Lawless and Heyman.^[16]

TABLE 4 Number of different texture descriptors identified during QDA and modified TP of LC, MC, and HC model food

Number of identified texture descriptors
Sensory test	LC	MC	HC
QDA	15	18	27
TP
First bite/chew	7	7	9
Chewdown	11	12	16
Residual	5	5	5
Total descriptors	26	28	34
(Total unique descriptors)	22	23	29

TABLE 5 ANOVA tables showing significant p-values for texture attributes rated during QDA and modified TP

	p-Values from QDA
Texture attribute	LC and MC	LC and HC	MC and HC
Firmness/Hardness	0.263	<0.0001*	<0.0001*
Chewiness	0.104	0.001*	0.212
Crunchy	0.033*	<0.0001*	<0.0001*
Floury	0.909	0.317	0.153
Meltability	0.998	0.001*	0.001*
Grainy	0.940	0.505	0.310
Springiness	0.557	0.928	0.783
Gummy	0.848	0.457	0.791
Crispy	0.024*	<0.0001*	<0.0001*
Sticky	0.225	0.385	0.937
Crumbly	0.774	0.076	0.014*
Roughness	0.680	<0.0001*	<0.0001*
	p-Values from modified TP
Texture attribute	LC and MC	LC and HC	MC and HC
Firmness/Hardness	0.017*	<0.0001*	<0.0001*
Springiness	0.205	0.615	0.716
Cohesiveness	0.213	0.559	0.782
Meltability	0.820	0.006*	0.031*
Fracturability	0.999	0.007*	0.006*
Awareness of Particles	0.214	<0.0001*	0.011*
Persistence of crunch	0.681	<0.0001*	<0.0001*
Tooth stick	0.899	0.001*	0.005*
Adhesiveness	0.997	0.766	0.806
Moisture absorption	0.416	0.344	0.990
Denseness	0.497	0.931	0.720
Roughness	0.053	<0.0001*	0.001*

p-Values obtained from one-way ANOVA with Tukey (HSD) post-hoc test;

*indicates a significant difference between the two groups.

FIGURE 2 Spider-plot showing the intensity of the selected textural descriptors obtained from A: QDA; and B: modified TP for LC, MC, and HC gel-based model food. LC: low complexity; MC: medium complexity; HC: high complexity.

Lawless, H.T.; Heymann, H. Texture Evaluation. In Sensory Evaluation of Food: Principles and Practices; Heldman, D.R. Ed.; Springer: New York, NY, 2010; 259–276 pp.

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