Article: Yogurt And Mouth Feel

By Brookfield Engineering Laboratories, Inc.

Quality control testing of any food product using texture analysis requires a consistent test method that has been empirically refined to suit the product of interest and the equipment available. An additional requirement is that the test be simple, quick to perform and repeatable. These seem like tall demands for today’s busy, cost conscious production environment. . The following describes one scenario in which these guidelines were followed easily and quickly.

One luxury dessert manufacturer, who makes yo­ gurts, has three production lines each producing similar but slightly different products. Mouth-feel was believed to be the distinguishing characteristic separating these desserts from their competitors. Sensory testing of mouth-feel involves drawing the product over the tongue. This is the quality they wished to guarantee.

A back extrusion test using a Texture Analyzer can best simulate the mouth-feel pro­cess. The nice feature of the back extrusion test is that the product may be tested in the retail container. Alternatively, there are special accessory fixtures available for use with texture analyzers to accomplish the back extru­sion test.