Texture Studies on Yokan, A Japanese Sugar-Mushed Beans-Agar Jelly-like Confectionery

Abstract

With the purpose of establishing an objective quality evaluation method for "Yokan" which is a traditional Japanese jelly-like confectionery mostly composed of sugar, mushed beans and agar, both the mechanical textural characteristics and the main chemical constituents cf 18 commercial products were comparatively analyzed.The general mechanical textural groperties of these products could be characterized by such parameters as hardness and adhesiveness and pattern of curve of the General Foods Texturometer. The mutual relationships among the several parameters measured by three kinds of mechanical textural instruments including GF Texturometer were cleared and their instrumental advantages or disadvantages were discussed.