Measuring texture of crackers with a multiple-point sheet sensor

A multiple-point sheet sensor was used to observe the distribution of pressure on the surface during fracture of food. This multiple-point measurement was compared with a single-point measurement of uniaxial compression for crackers with different water activities. Textural characteristics were clearly reflected in the pressure distribution data successively detected by the multiple-point sensor. Little pressure distribution appeared during compression of a homogeneous sample. Crackers with low water activity showed a wide pressure distribution both with time and at different positions. The multiple-point measurement directly determined textural differences caused by the mechanical and geometrical properties of the crackers.