Extrudability of cookie batters evaluated with three measurement methods

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Materials Science
• Rheology

Background:

• Ingredient formulation significantly impacts cookie batter processing and final product characteristics.
• Understanding ingredient-processing interactions is crucial for consistent product development in the food industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of three measurement methods (rheometer, forward extrusion cell, Foodtexture Puff Device) for assessing cookie batter extrudability.
• To determine how sugar and fat content variations affect batter extrudability using these methods.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a rheometer to measure batter flow properties.
• Employed a forward extrusion cell to assess resistance to deformation.
• Used the Foodtexture Puff Device (FPD) to evaluate batter extrudability characteristics.

Main Results:

• The rheometer and FPD consistently demonstrated the impact of sugar and fat content on extrudability.
• The forward extrusion cell showed limitations with high-fat batters due to fat layer separation.
• Both the forward extrusion cell and FPD effectively distinguished differences in consistency related to sugar grain size.

Conclusions:

• The rheometer is the most effective method for analyzing cookie batter extrudability, with the FPD as a strong second option.
• The FPD shows potential for optimization, while the forward extrusion cell has limitations for certain formulations.
• These validated methods are valuable tools for optimizing cookie batter formulations during product development.