Literature on the crispy/crunchy behavior of cellular solid foods with a crust is discussed. The emphasis is on products with a dry crispy or crunchy crust as bread and various snacks and especially on mesoscopic and macroscopic aspects. Successively, the sensory sensations involved, the mechanical and fracture behavior of crispy/crunchy products, morphological aspects, and the relation between crispy and crunchy behavior and mobility of the macromolecules and plasticizer (primarily water) involved, are discussed. Finally, some ideas for an integrated approach of crispy/crunchy behavior of cellular solid foods with a dry crust will be discussed.

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This article describes sound properties that are special for crispy foods and relates them to general knowledge on the acoustic emission and mechanical properties of fracturing materials. From properties like the occurrence of sound, the sound energy, the duration of single sound waves, the time interval between the sound pulses and from the force drops involved, it was possible to calculate the morphological constraints for dry, crispy cellular foods. We present data for the minimum and maximum sizes of the pores and of the sizes of the solid material element surrounding them. The loss of crispness in foods caused by aging under deteriorating circumstances was found not to be caused by changes in the type of elements that fracture.

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