Fracture behavior and mechanism of puffed cereal during compression
2009
ROOPA, B.S. | MAZUMDER, PRITAM | Bhattacharya, Suvendu
Texture of puffed cereals was determined to develop an instrumental method and to provide a mechanism of compaction under compressive stress. A model solidlike puffed rice at different moisture contents (2.0-8.5%) was subjected to compression testing to determine the fracture/failure characteristics. The force-deformation curves showed three zones and two firmnesses during compression. The different textural parameters were sensitive to moisture content above 6%. The microstructure of puffed rice consisted of many closed air cells having thin cell walls (10-15 μm) while a compressed sample showed breaking of cell walls with simultaneous development of fracture lines. A mechanism of compaction or failure at macromolecular level for puffed rice has been proposed based on texture data and microstructure. The acceptance of a snack food largely depends on the texture which in turn is related to fracture characteristics. The present paper offers a general method for determining the texture of snacks and similar brittle food products. The developed indices can describe the texture of a snack food. The mechanism of failure, developed in the present work, can also be applied for low-density foods and for prediction of their behavior during compression.
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