Application Studies / Fruitcake Evaluated Three Ways

Fruitcake Evaluated Three Ways

Industry:

Food

Baked

Confectionery

Attributes measured:

firmness

hardness

toughness

Background

Fruitcake is a rich, fruit laden cake that is enjoyed at special occasions and holidays. Many European countries have their own versions of fruitcake, sometimes also known as ‘Stollen’. All of the variants use high concentrations of dried or candied fruit and nuts in a formula with enough sugar and often alcohol to act as a preservative and to provide a long shelf life. Fruitcake has a reputation of being a stiff, hard product with highly variable textural qualities. Because there are so many fruitcake formulations and the quantity and type of inclusions are so varied – even within a single batch – it is an extremely challenging product to profile from a textural perspective. This application study uses the TA.XTPlus and Exponent Software to evaluate how three different test methods handle the inherent variability of store-bought fruitcake.