Food Texture: Measurement

Texture is not a single property of any food material but it

is a combination of different properties and is perceived by

the tactile sense and sometimes by the sense of sight and

sound. Several definitions are available in the literature for

the term texture. The International Organization for

Standardization[1] defines food texture as “all the rheolo-

gical and structural (geometric and surface) attributes of

the product perceptible by means of mechanical, tactile,

and, where appropriate, visual and auditory receptors.”

According to Bourne,[2] “the textural properties of a food

are that group of physical characteristics that arise from the

structural elements of the food, are sensed primarily by the

feeling of touch, are related to the deformation, disintegra-

tion, and the flow of the food under a force, and are

measured objectively as functions of mass, time and dis-

tance.” Texture of a food is sensed by the feeling of touch

and it is more related to the structure of the food and the

chemical senses and odor have a limited role. Texture of

any food material is highly subjective and it includes both

rheological as well as non-rheological properties of the

foods. In this entry, importance of texture and several

measurement techniques are presented.