Baked product texture: Correlations between instrumental and sensory characterization using Flash Profile

Fifteen wheat doughs with various compositions have been selected and baked in order to obtain products with densities in the range of commercial bread values (0.25-0.35 g/cm(3)). A quick sensory profiling technique (Flash Profile), based on the combination of free choice profiling and a comparative evaluation of the whole product set was used. The sensory jury had to focus on the sensory perception of crumb texture (tactile and visual). The treatment of collected data by Generalized Procustes Analysis shows that products were perceived differently by the panel. The main differences concern the uniformity and the size of gas cells but also mechanical properties of corresponding crumb for which attributes like hardness, springiness and crumbliness were used. Instrumental characterization was performed using uniaxial compression (Young's modulus) and image analysis based on texture granulometry (fineness and homogeneity of cell distribution). A Multiple Factor Analysis allowed assessing the correlations between the sensory attributes and the instrumental measurements. Density and Young's modulus are positively correlated with the sensory elasticity. The instrumental and sensory measurements of the size and of the homogeneity of the cells distribution are correlated. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.