Investigating the relationship between the perceived thickness of the chocolate pudding in sensory and instrumental analysis

Sensory evaluation of food materials is an important factor to choose and even produce new formulations. Being time consuming, results in being difficult to interpret and the necessity to educate specialists make these methods kind of impractical. In this study, we have made an effort to introduce physical properties as a substitute for sensory evaluations in a semi solid food such as chocolate pudding. Higher reliability, reproducibility and higher pace are among some of the advantages of instrumental measurements. Thus, if sensory evaluation can be predicted based on physical properties solely, besides increasing the inspection pace, they would be available to be used online. The obtained results can also be used in designing new products for special consumers such as the dysphasia patients. The results showed that parameters such as shear viscosity, plastic viscosity, yield stress, extensional viscosity, apparent modulus and adhesive force can be used to design and produce new materials; they make sense beside each other though. In this way, the products which have been designed for the patients with swallowing difficulties should have suitable texture in mouth and also good swallow ease.