Use of artificial saliva for evaluation of instrumental texture of expanded snacks: part II–correlations between sensory characteristics and instrumental properties

Abstract

Food texture can be evaluated by instrumental and sensory methods; however, more than just using both approaches, establishing correlations between them is fundamental to obtain relevant information related to the sensory quality of product texture. Considering that artificial saliva is still little explored in the food area, the texture sensory profile and texture acceptance of expanded snacks were investigated to verify whether artificial saliva influences any correlation between the instrumental and sensory evaluations of texture. Thirteen samples of expanded snacks were analyzed using seven probes and three treatments: with no saliva, with 1.1 mL of artificial saliva applied to the sample and immersion of the sample in the artificial saliva. A high intensity of adhesiveness was responsible for low acceptance of products. Without artificial saliva, correlations between intensities of fracturability and instrumental results were more frequent; however, when artificial saliva was used, strong correlations were obtained for the intensities of hardness, crispness, chewiness and adhesiveness. Regarding the sensory acceptance, the cylindrical probe without saliva and the three-point bending probe and Ottawa probe with 17 blades with artificial saliva stood out as having strong correlation. Thus, the three-point bending and 17-blade Ottawa probes with 17 blades are highlighted, as both notably increased the correlations between sensory and instrumental results when used with artificial saliva. In conclusion, the use of artificial saliva changes correlations between instrumental and sensory analyses for all probes and the choice of instrumental conditions to be used will depend on the sensory attribute to be investigated.