Crispness and crunchiness are important factors in the enjoyment of many foods, but they are defined differently among dictionaries, consumers, and researchers. Sensory, mechanical, and acoustic methods have been used to provide data on crispness and crunchiness. Sensory measurements include biting force and sound intensity. Mechanical techniques resemble mastication and include flex, shear, and compression. Acoustical techniques measure frequency, intensity, and number of sound events. Water and oil content contribute to crispness and crunchiness, which also have temporal aspects. Information in the literature is compared in this article to develop definitions of crispness and crunchiness.A dense-textured food which, when chewed with the molars, undergoes a series of fractures while emitting relatively loud, low-pitched sounds.
CONCLUSIONSFurther work on differentiating and defining crispy and crunchy textures is needed so that universal standards can be obtained. Such definitions could be translated into any 960 TUNICK ET AL. language and would be applicable to fruits, vegetables, baked foods, extruded foods, etc. Research in our laboratory, described in a subsequent article, [74] represents a step in that direction.
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