Texture tests

The textural properties of the pressure-treated and control samples were measured with a Texture Testing instrument (Lloyd Instruments - Omnitronix, Mississauga, ON) at about 25°C using a compressive probe at a speed of 20 mm/min. The fish samples were taken out of the whirl-pak bags and cut into cubes of dimensions (mm) 30 x 20 x 15, and then subjected to a steadily increasing load up to a maximum of 45 Newtons. The corresponding deformations in the samples were measured, and the values of textural parameters were expressed as the means of three measurements. 

The correlation coefficients within the three textural methods was very good for both margarines and shortenings (r > 0.9), but the correlation coefficient between the three textural tests and the SFC of the fat or the solids content of... 

The aroma of fmit, the taste of candy, and the texture of bread are examples of flavor perception. In each case, physical and chemical stmctures ia these foods stimulate receptors ia the nose and mouth. Impulses from these receptors are then processed iato perceptions of flavor by the brain. Attention, emotion, memory, cognition, and other brain functions combine with these perceptions to cause behavior, eg, a sense of pleasure, a memory, an idea, a fantasy, a purchase. These are psychological processes and as such have all the complexities of the human mind. Flavor characterization attempts to define what causes flavor and to determine if human response to flavor can be predicted. The ways ia which simple flavor active substances, flavorants, produce perceptions are described both ia terms of the physiology, ie, transduction, and psychophysics, ie, dose-response relationships, of flavor (1,2). Progress has been made ia understanding how perceptions of simple flavorants are processed iato hedonic behavior, ie, degree of liking, or concept formation, eg, crispy or umami (savory) (3,4). However, it is unclear how complex mixtures of flavorants are perceived or what behavior they cause. Flavor characterization involves the chemical measurement of iadividual flavorants and the use of sensory tests to determine their impact on behavior. 

Precipitation and Purification. During the hydrolysis, control tests are made by turbidimetric titration of samples taken intermittently. When the desired degree of hydrolysis is reached, the ester is precipitated from the reaction solution into water. It is important for the precipitate to have the proper texture for subsequent washing to remove acid and salts for thermal stabilization. Before precipitation, the reaction solution is usually diluted with additional aqueous acetic acid to reduce the viscosity. If a flake texture is desired, the solution is poured into a vigorously stirred, 10—15% aqueous acetic acid. To precipitate the acetate in powder form, dilute acetic acid is added to the stirred reaction solution. In both cases, the precipitated ester is suspended in 25—30% aqueous acid solutions and finally washed with deionized water. The dilution, precipitation temperature, agitation, and strength of the acid media must be controlled to ensure uniform texture. 

Comparative references are devices which are used to verify that an item has the same properties as the reference. They may take the form of materials such as chemicals which are used in spectrographic analyzers or those used in tests for the presence of certain compounds in a mixture or they could be materials with certain finishes, textures, etc. Certificates should be produced and retained for such reference materials so that their validity is known to those who will use them. Materials that degrade over time should be dated and given a use by date. Care should be taken to avoid cross contamination and any degradation due to sunlight. A specification for each reference material should be prepared so that its properties can be verified. 

To be effective, this method must be carried out on samples which have been blanched, and upon peas from which the skins have been removed. The heat applied in blanching drives off gases entrapped in the tissues, and removal of the skins is required to remove air that may be entrapped under them, although it materially slows up the operation and makes it very tedious. In order that there may be consistency in grading, the test must be conducted under closely standardized conditions of temperature and solution concentration. This becomes of considerable importance in borderline cases, and failure to take it into consideration no doubt accounts for some of the inconsistency in results experienced by the industry. The test is not a true measure of tenderness, in that it accounts for variation in skin texture only in so far as maturity affects skin texture. Skin texture is affected by factors other than maturity (4). Other methods for the estimation of maturity based upon density or specific gravity have been suggested by Jodidi (16) and by Lee (22). 

Because overblanching may result in undesirable changes in color, flavor, taste, and texture and the loss of nutritive value, it is as important to avoid overblanching as underblanching. The availability of a method for the detection of overblanching is indicated, but so far as the writer is aware, none exists at the present time. In view of the fact that complete peroxidase inactivation is not required for quality protection, a measurement of residual peroxidase activity might provide the basis for such a test. 

Because the quality and health aspects of foods cannot be measured by a single index, it necessarily follows that the subject of control methods in the canned food industry is very broad, and includes chemical, physical, organoleptic, and bacteriological tests, only the first of which is discussed here. The measurement of color, odor, optical clarity, texture, viscosity, and chemical composition has been used to evaluate canned foods, but in many cases the methods that are applicable to one product are either not applicable to another, or can be used only after considerable modification. 

The present review shows how the microhardness technique can be used to elucidate the dependence of a variety of local deformational processes upon polymer texture and morphology. Microhardness is a rather elusive quantity, that is really a combination of other mechanical properties. It is most suitably defined in terms of the pyramid indentation test. Hardness is primarily taken as a measure of the irreversible deformation mechanisms which characterize a polymeric material, though it also involves elastic and time dependent effects which depend on microstructural details. In isotropic lamellar polymers a hardness depression from ideal values, due to the finite crystal thickness, occurs. The interlamellar non-crystalline layer introduces an additional weak component which contributes further to a lowering of the hardness value. Annealing effects and chemical etching are shown to produce, on the contrary, a significant hardening of the material. The prevalent mechanisms for plastic deformation are proposed. Anisotropy behaviour for several oriented materials is critically discussed. 

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