Ask the Expert: Texture Changes Everything

Starch and other texturizing elements in a food system tend to be used at low percentages and are relatively low cost. Flavour components, on the other hand, can be extremely costly and difficult to change once the selection has been made. Common sense suggests then that we focus first on getting the textural piece “right,” then add flavour to texture.

To do this we must identify the elements of texture in unambiguous ways. Terms such as the ones already mentioned are commonly understood, but they are not experienced in the same way. My “crispy” may be your “glassy,” and my “chewy” may be your “leathery.” To be able to successfully communicate the texture objective, it’s essential to develop a textural lexicon, a dictionary of agreed terms and frames of reference that will allow us to understand each other and develop a target that we can comprehend in the same way. At National Starch, as a texture company, we use proprietary, multidimensional mapping and a well-developed lexicon of textural terms to help our customers short circuit some of the time and expense in getting to their textural goals. You may not have the internal resources to take textural work to this level, but if you can get consensus on terminology within your marketing and research departments, you will be well ahead of the majority of your competitors.

Texture changes everything. So get the textural piece right and get to your goals faster and cheaper!

Bill Ruderman is president of National Starch ULC. Contact him at bill.ruderman@nstarch.com.