Listen… Zeelandia uses acoustics to measure bread crustiness
Zeelandia has used a microphone alongside a textural analyser from Stable Micro Systems to measure sounds in crispy white bread rolls when squeezed. The testing enables the firm to compare ingredients, recipes and processing to determine the best option for the best crust.
“With these new methods that combine force and sound we can really compare fresh crustiness. We’re doing a kind of shelf-life test too in a way,” said Hennie Kuzee, R&D manager of laboratory at Zeelandia.
Previous testing relied on trained experts to listen to sounds generated when bread was squeezed, she told BakeryandSnacks.com.
“One of the drawbacks though is that you need a very expert person to conduct the tests – it’s a kind of sensory test,” she said.
“We wanted to move to an objective method with figures so you don’t have to rely on an expert,” she added.
It also enables easy transfer of testing across the globe and for different products, she said.
Improved recipes for customers
The analysis enables Zeelandia to compare different recipes and processing methods using its ingredients, which in turn can be recommended to customers, it said.
“That’s our drive in a way – to improve our products so we can give our customers more crusty products that stay crusty,” said Kuzee.
For the time being, the testing has just been conducted on white crusty rolls, but the intention is to expand to baguettes, she said.
“This is not for the standard bread, it’s the really specialized breads like ciabatta, crusty rolls and French baguettes,” she said.
The crust that counts?
Henk Mulder, physical scientist at Zeelandia, said crust sound was very important to consumers buying these specialized breads.
“Crustiness is an indication of quality and freshness for these types of products…People associate sound with crustiness. When in the shops buying hard rolls, they squeeze them to listen to the sound,” he said.
While the type of sound they’re looking for is not that simple, he said the microphone is set up to measure sound peaks and the more peaks you find, the crispier the product is.
“With the new method, we see bigger differences and it’s easier to compare,” he said.
