Application Studies / Wheat Thins - Acoustic Envelope Detector

Wheat Thins - Acoustic Envelope Detector

Industry:

Food

Baked

Confectionery

Attributes measured:

firmness

hardness

crispness

crunchiness

acoustic

fracturability

stiffness

Background

The food industry has been interested for many decades in correlating acoustic measurements with consumer judgements of crispiness and crunchiness. Capturing and analyzing acoustical and mechanical tests has historically been cumbersome and technologically demanding. SMS has introduced its Acoustic Envelope Detector (AED) for the TA.XTPlus Texture Analyzer, which can capture acoustic signals simultaneously with force, distance and time data; and the analysis of that data can be automated with macros. The test capabilities of the Acoustic Envelope Detector are illustrated by capturing synchronized acoustic and force data during a 3-point bend test on Wheat Thin crackers. The acoustic data can clearly be quantified and can be used as another tool for correlating instrumental tests with consumers’ perceptions of crispness.