Quick assessment of the potato chip crispness using the mechanical-acoustic measurement method

Abstract

AbstractTraditional assessment method for the food crispness was sensory analysis which was time consuming and needed experienced panelists. Aiming to to develop a quick evaluation of the food crispness, a mechanical-acoustic testing method was proposed where two parameters-maximum force (Fmax) and maximum acoustic energy in unit time (SEmax) were applied to assess the crispness of dried potato chips. It was found the mechanical-acoustic testing was completed in about 1.2 s and the potato chips had a statistic distributions for Fmax and SEmax. The brand A potato chips had a statistic average Fmax of 13.48 N and SEmax of 93.51 mV·ms. Three kinds of potato chips can be effectively differentiated according to the statistic average SEmax and Fmax. Sensory “crispness” had a good correlation with the statistic average SEmax. This work shows that it is feasible for a quick measurement of the food crispness using this mechanical-acoustic method.