QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF FOOD SPREADABILITY USING THE VANE METHOD

This study was performed to describe an application of the vane method for the rapid, quantitative measurement of spreadability, a subjectiv e, textural property. Yield points of thirteen commercial food items w ere determined and related to spreadability using models HBTDV-I and 5 X HBTDV-I Brookfield viscometers equipped with three different vanes. Spreadability strongly impacts consumer approval of a food. This textu ral property has been linked to the yield stress of a material, but ob servations support that strain at yielding may also be important. A te xtural map, showing yield stress and yield strain of the selected food s was created to chart regions of spreadability.