TEXTURE PROFILE METHODS

Texture Profile
Provides quantitative description of
attributes important to food texture
Developed in 1960s in analogy to flavor
profiling of A. D. Little (1940s)
Civille and Szczesniak (1973) and
Civille and Liska (1975) instrumental to
development
Initiated by understanding that texture was:
A sensory property, more than just a
force-deformation relationship
Made up of many parameters; most are
tactile, some are visual or aural
May be described by imprecise
terminology
Had characteristics that appear in
predictable orders
Definitions: Texture
The visual or tactile surface characteristics of
something (Webster's definition 3b)
is a sensory attribute, perceived by the senses
of touch, sight and hearing (Brennen)
Sensory manifestation of the structure of inner
makeup in terms of their:
1.Reaction to stress measured as mechanical
properties by kinesthetic sense in the muscles of the
tongue, jaw and lips.
2.Tactile properties measured as geometrical or
moisture properties by tactile nerves in surface of the
skin of lips or tongue (Meilgaard, Civille, Carr, 1991)
Szczesniak (1963) developed set of textural
characteristics related to popular terms
Mechanical
Characteristic

Secondary
Parameter
Popular Term

Hardness Soft-firm-hard
Cohesiveness Fracturability
Chewiness
Gumminess
Crumbly, crunchy, brittle
Tender, chewy, tough

Viscosity Thin-viscous
Elasticity Plastic, elastic, springy,
rubbery
Adhesiveness Sticky-tacky-gooey



Characteristic Examples

Particle size/shape

Powdery
Chalky
Grainy
Gritty
Lumpy
Beady
Confectioners sugar
Raw potato
Cream of wheat
Sand
Cottage cheese
Tapioca pudding


Geometrical Properties
Characteristic Examples

Shape/orientation

Flaky
Fibrous
Pulpy
Cellular
Aerated
Crystalline
Boiled haddock
Chicken breast
Orange sections
Raw apple
Chiffon pie
Granulated sugar



Other
Characteristics
Secondary
Parameter

Moisture content Dry-moist-wet
Moisture release Amount of water/oil
released
Fat content Oiliness
Greasiness
Amount of liquid fat
Amount of solid fat


Also, things happen in
predictable order
Geometric and
Surface properties
FIRST BITE
MECHANICAL
GEOMETRICAL
Fracturability
Viscosity Firmness
Any geometric properties
depending upon the product
MASTICATION
(early) MECHANICAL
GEOMETRICAL
Fracturability
Viscosity Firmness
Any geometric properties
depending upon the product
MASTICATION
(late)
BREAKDOWN MOISTURE
FAT MOUTH-COATING
Type Rate Adsorption Release Release Mouth- Type Amount
coating
SWALLOWING

Ease of Throat-Coating
RESIDUAL
MOUTH-COATING THROAT-COATING GENERAL FEEL ON:

Type Amount Type Amount Mouth Throat
In texture profile analysis attributes are
defined

Order and method of processing is
considered
Texture Profiling Method
The sensory analysis of the texture
complex of a food in terms of its
mechanical, geometrical, fat and
moisture characteristics, the degree of
each present, and the order in which
they appear from first bite through
complete mastication.
Panelists
Selected based on ability to discriminate
known textural differences
Interviewed to determine interest,
availability, and attitude
Trained using a variety of products
May be introduced to underlying textural
principles, mechanical forces, strains,
etc
Character notes
Mechanical, geometric, moisture

Intensity/scaling
Such as 15 cm line scale
Order of appearance

1. Prior to mastication
2. First bite
3. First chew
4. Chew down
5. Residual phase
Objectives
To eliminate problems with subject variability
To allow direct comparison of results with known
materials
To provide a relationship with instrument measures
How
Specific rating scales
Specific reference materials
Meaningful term definitions
TPA: The Method
Panelists rate each of the selected
attributes according to a standard scale
Scales available for hardness,
fracturability, chewiness, guminess,
adhesiveness, and viscosity
Scales are quantitative but do not
measure a physical quantity or indicate
quantitative relationships
Panel
Rating
Product Brand or Type Manufactuer Sample
Size
1 Cream
cheese
Philadelphia Kraft foods 1/2 in
2 Egg white Hard-cooked ------ 1/2 in
3 Frankfurters Large, uncooked,
skinless
Mogen David Kosher
Meat Products
1/2 in
4 Cheese Yellow, American Kraft foods 1/2 in
5 Olives Exquisite, giant,
stuffed
Cresca Co. 1 olive
6 Peanuts Cocktail type in
vaccum tin
Planters Peanuts 1 nut
7 Carrots Unccoked, fresh ------ 1/2 in
8 Peanut brittle Candy part Kraft foods ------
9 Rock candy -------- Dryden and Palmer ------


For Example: Standard Hardness Scale
Panelists need to be trained on the scale
Specified sensory techniques
Hardness Place sample between molar
teeth and bite down evenly, evaluating the
force required to compress the food

Cohesiveness Place sample between molar
teeth, compress and evaluate the amount of
deformation before rupture
Viscosity Place a spoon containing sample
directly in front of mouth and draw liquid from
spoon over tongue by slurping, evaluating the
force required to draw liquid over the tongue at a
steady rate.
Springiness Place sample either between
molar teeth (if it is a solid) or between tongue
and palate (if it is a semi-solid) and compress
partially; remove force and evaluate the degree
and speed of recovery
Adhesiveness Place sample on tongue,
press it against palate and evaluate force
required to remove it with tongue.
Fracturability Place a sample between
molar teeth and bite down evenly until
sample crumbles, cracks or shatters;
evaluate force with which sample moves
away from teeth.
Chewiness Place sample in mouth and masticate
at one chew per second and at a force equal to that
required to penetrate a gumdrop plus or minus one
second; evaluate the number of chews required to
reduce sample to a state ready for swallowing.
Gumminess Place sample in mouth and
manipulate with tongue against palate; evaluate
amount of manipulation necessary before sample
disintegrates
Texture Attribute Scale Standard

Hardness Low Cream cheese
Medium Frankfurter
High Hard candy

Adhesiveness Low Vegetable oil
Medium Marshmallow
topping
High Peanut butter


Each attribute has series of 9 standrds
Texture Attribute Scale Standard

Fracturability Low Corn muffin
Medium Ginger snap
High Hard candy

Cohesiveness Low Corn muffin
Medium Dried fruit
High Chewing gum


Texture Attribute Scale Standard

Denseness Low Whipped topping
Medium Malted milk balls
High Fruit jellies

Wetness Low Crackers
Medium Ham
High Water


Texture Attribute Scale Standard

Adhesiveness to lips Low Tomato
Medium Breadstick
High Rice cereal

Roughness Low Gelatin dessert
Medium Potato chip
High Thin bread wafer


Texture Attribute Scale Standard

Cohesiveness of mass Low Licorice
Medium Frankfurter
High Bread dough

Moisture absorption Low Licorice
Medium Potato chip
High Cracker


Texture Attribute Scale Standard

Adhesiveness to teeth Low Clam
Medium Graham cracker
High Jujubes

Hardness Low Marshmallow
Medium Bread dough
High Nougat


Example: Terminology for
Oral Texture of Cookies
Surface Place cookie between lips and
evaluate for:

Roughness: Degree to which surface is uneven (smooth-
rough)
Loose particles: Amount of loose particles on surface (none
to many)
Dryness: Absence of oil on the surface (oily to dry)


First Bite Place one third of cookie between
incisors, bite down and evaluate for:

Fracturability: Force with which sample ruptures
(crumbly to brittle)
Hardness: Force required to bite through sample (soft to
hard)
Particle Size: Size of crumb pieces (small to large)
First Chew Place one third of cookie between
molars, bite through and evaluate for:

Denseness: Compactness of cross section (airy to
dense)

Uniformity of Chew: Degree to which chew is even
throughout (uneven to even)
Chew Down Place one third of cookie between
molars, chew 10 to 12 times and evaluate for:
Moisture Absorption: Amount of saliva absorbed by
sample (none to a lot)
Type of Breakdown: Thermal, Mechanical, Salivary
(multiple choice, no scale)
Cohesiveness of Mass: Degree to which mass holds
together (loose to cohesive)
Tooth Pack: Amount of sample stuck in molars (none to
a lot)
Grittiness: Amount of small, hard particles between teeth
during chew (none to a lot)
Residual Swallow sample and evaluate
residue in mouth for:

Oily: Degree to which mouth feels oily (dry to oily)

Particles: Amount of particles left in mouth (none to a
lot)

Chalky: Degree to which mouth feels chalky (not chalky
to very chalky)
Quantitative Descriptive
Analysis: General Approach
Panelists (10-15) meet
to try product and
similar products

Panelists develop list
of attributes pertinent
to that group of
products
Rubbery Sticky
Gritty Gooey
Chewy Hard
Cohesive Firm
Falls apart Tender
Elastic Sandy
Softness Springy
All terms may be reduced to a smaller subset, similar terms
agreed upon, redundant terms eliminated
Develop relative standards for select attributes

Some may already be published, or they may need
to be developed
Provide panelists with scales and test standards
Panel
Rating
Product Brand or Type Manufactuer Sample
Size
1 Cream
cheese
Philadelphia Kraft foods 1/2 in
2 Egg white Hard-cooked ------ 1/2 in
3 Frankfurters Large, uncooked,
skinless
Mogen David Kosher
Meat Products
1/2 in
4 Cheese Yellow, American Kraft foods 1/2 in
5 Olives Exquisite, giant,
stuffed
Cresca Co. 1 olive
6 Peanuts Cocktail type in
vaccum tin
Planters Peanuts 1 nut
7 Carrots Unccoked, fresh ------ 1/2 in
8 Peanut brittle Candy part Kraft foods ------
9 Rock candy -------- Dryden and Palmer ------


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Panelists trained with standards
Test product of interest evaluated
for texture attribute, with standards
as reference
QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.