The quantification of crispness

The definition of the sensation of ‘crispness’ (and some related textures) is proposed to be the sudden drop in load experienced on the jaw adductor (closing) muscles and/or the load sensors in the tooth suspension when a crisp food item breaks between the teeth. Force deflection curves of some starch-based crisp foods were analysed and replotted as weighted frequency curves of the magnitude of the load drop. It is suggested that ‘crumbliness’, ‘crispness’, ‘crunchiness’ and ‘hardness’ are descriptors along the load-drop-size continuum. It is possible that a large number of small fracture events suppresses the development of large fracture events by competing for the available energy, thus affecting the sensation of ‘crispness’. The frequency curve provides a mechanical signature of the crisp food. © 1998 Society of Chemical Industry