Measure the texture of bakery products

Measuring the texture of bakery products is an essential undertaking that offers valuable insights into product quality, consumer satisfaction, and process optimisation.

Texture analysis provides a scientific basis for evaluating freshness, shelf-life, sensory appeal, and the influence of formulation and processing variables.

This analytical approach plays a pivotal role in enhancing the quality, consistency, and innovation of bakery products, ensuring they meet both consumer expectations and industry standards through evidence-based methods.

From the crunch of a biscuit to the softness of bread, texture largely dictates the sensory experience. The incorporation of a Texture Analyser in the manufacture and development of bakery products brings forth a wide range of benefits:

• Product development: When introducing new bakery items, understanding and controlling their texture is crucial. Texture Analysers aid in this R&D process.
• Quality assurance and control: Consistency is paramount in bakery products. Regular texture testing ensures that each batch aligns with the set standards, maintaining brand reputation and consumer trust.
• Optimising formulations: As ingredients change (e.g., different flours, fats, or additives), so can texture or when modifying recipes for health reasons, such as reducing sugar or fat, the texture can change. A Texture Analyser helps optimise ingredient ratios to achieve desired textures, be it crispness, fluffiness, or chewiness.
• Influence of processing parameters: Factors such as baking temperature, time, or method can influence the texture. Analysis helps refine these parameters for consistent outcomes.
• Effects of preservatives and additives: Many bakery products use preservatives to extend shelf life. Testing can gauge their impact on texture and help optimise their use.
• Assessment of gluten-free and alternative products: With the rise of gluten-free and alternative grain products, understanding their often-different textural profiles is vital to meet consumer expectations.
• Shelf life studies: By monitoring texture changes over time, companies can estimate the shelf life of products and understand how storage conditions impact product quality.
• Ingredient substitution: When replacing traditional ingredients with alternatives, a Texture Analyser can help in ensuring the new formulation meets or exceeds the textural qualities of the original product.
• Consumer sensory perception: Linking objective data from the Texture Analyser with sensory evaluations can give insights into consumer preferences and guide product improvements.
• Packaging interaction: Some products might stick to packaging or undergo textural changes due to packaging materials. The way a product is packaged can sometimes influence its texture, especially in terms of moisture retention or loss. Analysing this can inform packaging decisions.
• Comparative analysis: Companies can compare their products with competitors' in terms of texture to determine market positioning or areas for improvement.
• Validation of product claims: For products advertised with specific textural claims, such as "extra crunchy" or "ultra-soft", texture analysis provides the empirical data to substantiate these assertions.

The role of a Texture Analyser in the bakery industry is indispensable. It facilitates a systematic, scientific approach to product development and quality assurance, ensuring that bakery items consistently delight consumers with their desired textures, contributing to product success in the market.

The textural properties of bakery products can make a significant difference in their acceptability and market success.

Here are the key texture properties a Texture Analyser can measure for bakery products:

Understanding and controlling these textural properties in bakery products is crucial for ensuring consistent quality, optimising shelf life, and meeting consumer preferences. A Texture Analyser provides an objective way to quantify these properties, allowing manufacturers to fine-tune formulations and processing parameters.

Whether its providing the solution for ADM Milling to accurately assesses flour performance, allowing Puratos to perfect the freshness of their bakery products or offering a method for Warburtons to measure their dough stickiness or Zeelandia to measure their bread roll crustiness, a Texture Analyser is adaptable and flexible in its application to measure the bespoke texture of your product and then enable its quality to be controlled in your manufacturing to guarantee consistency and customer satisfaction.

You might also be interested in:

• How does Urban Bakery use the Texture Analyser as a feature of their quality control in their advertising? Watch their ad.
• How does Qualisoy quantify their new gold standard bakery products? Watch how they use their Texture Analyser to do this
• How does Campden BRI use their Texture Analyser to gain competitive advantage in the bakery industry? Watch their video
• How does the Northern Crops Institute measure bread volume? Watch how they are using their Volscan Profiler
• How does the Wheat Marketing Center perform their bread firmness measurements? Watch this overview and then the step-by-step process
• How does Ingredion (a company whose Texture Centre of Excellence helps the food industry achieve the perfect consistency for their products) use their Texture Analyser to create unforgettable textural memories? Watch their ‘Let’s Talk Texture’ video series

With deep expertise in bakery texture analysis, we’re well equipped to support innovation in the bakery sector – just ask our customers.

A wide range of probes and attachments can be integrated with our instruments, allowing testing to be precisely adapted to the material or product under evaluation. Applications include the Warburtons Dough Stickiness System to control stickiness of dough batches, bending tests to assess biscuit fracturability or the Volscan Profiler to measure loaf volume affected by bread dough properties. 

Through our active involvement in industry events such as AACC, ICC and IFT meetings, as well as being members of Campden BRI's Cereals, Milling & Baking Panel, we remain closely aligned with the evolving needs of the bakery industry. When a suitable test solution does not already exist, we develop one – such as the as the Kieffer Dough and Gluten Extensibility Rig.

The examples provided illustrate a selection of specialised attachments and commonly performed measurements in this application area. This list is not exhaustive; a wide range of additional options are available for the testing of bakery products. All instruments in the Texture Analyser range  can be used to perform the tests described.

Exponent Connect software includes a comprehensive range of test methods for bakery products (including AACC and AIB standards), all instantly accessible at the click of a button. We streamline your texture testing process, ensuring faster access to methods and ready-to-use analysis files for your product properties.

Bakery product research, development, and production continually evolve in response to various factors like consumer demand, technology, health trends, and sustainability concerns.

Here are some of the newer ingredient and product ideas in bakery product research, development, and production and a typical academic reference to show how the Texture Analyser has already being applied:

This list is by no means exhaustive, as innovation in the bakery sector is continuous and dynamic, shaped by a multitude of factors from global trade to individual consumer feedback.