Studies on the development of universal-type texture measurement system

质地是食物接受度的一个重要属性。质地的客观测量和/或量化继续引起研究人员的兴趣。各种仪器质构测试，包括基础测试、经验测试和模拟测试，都是为了测量纹理的物理和流变性。然而，与食品质构特征的区别有关的工作却很少。我们致力于开发食品质构测量的仪器方法。首先，使用KES-FB3型压缩试验机(日本京都加藤技术株式会社)进行了单轴压缩-减压试验。压缩-减压试验是在不同的压缩水平下进行的，即在小、中、大压缩水平和断裂时进行。通过这些试验，确定了每个压缩水平下的压缩功、弹性、可压缩性和作用力。对包括各种粘弹性食品和凝胶的110个和120个样本组成的数据集进行了因子分析。根据因子1、因子2和因子3的因子得分可相互区分，因子1、因子2和因子3分别对应于硬度(和韧性)、弹性和脆性等织构特征。这意味着纹理特征和特征可以以量化的方式区分。该方法包括力学特性的测量、仪器数据的因子分析以及这些数据在三维图形中的表示。其次，搭建了一台新的压缩试验机，并编制了全过程运行的程序软件。增加了压缩试验机和程序软件的多种功能，节省了测量时间，使操作更加简便。从而建立了纹理测量的仪器系统。

Texture is an attribute that is important to food acceptance. Objective measurement and/or quantification of the texture continue to interest researchers. Various instrumental texture testings, fundamental, empirical and imitative tests, have followed with a view to measure physical and rheological characteristics of texture. However, little has been done related to discrimination of textural features of foods. We conducted to develop instrumental method for food texture measurement. Firstly, a uniaxial compression-decompression tests were carried out using a KES-FB 3 Compression Tester (Kato Tech Co.Ltd., Kyoto, Japan) equipped with a cylindrical plunger. The compression-decompression tests were carried out at different levels of compression, i.e., at small, medium and large compression levels and at rupture. From these tests, compression work, resiliency, compressibility and force at each compression level were determined. The date sets composed of 110 and 120 samples including various types of viscoelastic foods and gels were subjected to factor analysis. The samples were distinguishable from each other in terms of the factor scores for factors 1, 2 and 3 which correspond to textural characteristics of hardness (and toughness), elasticity and fracturability, respectively. This means that textural features and characteristics are distinguishable in a quantified manner. This method includes measurement of mechanical characteristics, factor analysis of instrumental date, and representation of these date in a three-dimensional diagram. Secondly, construction of a new compression tester and preparation of program soft for operating the whole procedure were performed. The compression tester and the program soft were added several functions by which the time for measurement was saved and the operating was made easier and more simple. Thus, the instrumental system for texture measurement was established.