Alternative Use of the Extensograph-E in the Role of a Texturometer

Food texture is traditionally evaluated using texturometers. On a pilot scale, four samples of graham or cheese salted sticks were measured by using the apparatus Extensograph-E. The equipment is originally designed for evaluation of the viscoelastic properties of wheat flour dough. The extensograph resistance as the height of gained curves has been closely correlated with the weight of the broken samples (ranges 59-1506 units and 3.11-19.38 g, respectively), representing the hardness of the salted sticks. As presumed, extensigraph elasticity and curve width were measured at close intervals 5.00-10.00 mm due to brittle character of the material tested. Similarly, neither the deformation energy as the area under the curve could be used for the samples discrimination (range 0.59-11.00 cm²). The hardness of cheese type and graham counterpart was statistically similar – the extensograph resistance means of fifty items were 559±381 and 500±352 units. According to the producer, the least, both tested graham stick samples could be differentiated - the corresponding means of fifty items were 367±293 and 632±361 units). Finally, only the extensibility of salted sticks was correlated with the declared contents of saccharides, proteins, and fat (r = −0.52, −0.56, and 0.49 for N = 100 and P = 95%).