Achieving the perfect taste or texture is only the beginning – from then on, your customers expect perfect consistency, year after year.
In this webinar, we explored the issues that can cause unexpected problems, how manufacturers can avoid getting blindsided, and surefire methods for delivering consistency.
5. SNACK FOODS
Diverse group of products
Ready to eat
Low to intermediate moisture foods
Packaged to easily consume
6. SNACK FOODS
Strive for specific consumer experience
Many have long history and brand recognition
Not worried about mold issues
Is water activity useful?
7. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
PROBLEMS ARISE?
Trail mix now has
rancid nuts?
Bars are getting
hard or worse,
molding before the
expiration date?
Filled cakes are
sticky in the
package?
Can future
problems be
foreseen and
avoided?
What about new
formulations?
8. TOTAL MOISTURE
Moisture content needed
for the right texture but
cannot help with moisture-
related issues
Total Moisture
measurement
relate MC to water activity,
which is crucial to solving
moisture-related problems
13. LIPID OXIDATION
• Products are generally in the 0.1-0.2 aw range to maintain
their crispness
High rate of oxidation >0.2; Lowest 0.3-0.5
• Can reduce O2 with oxygen absorber or with a N2 flush
• Pick the right packaging (WVTR & OTR)
• Minimize the effect of light
Need to balance texture and rancidity
15. CHANGE IN TEXTURE
Foods susceptible to texture
change:
• Crisps, dried fruit, cookies, crackers,
bars, confections, functional
ingredients
Low to mid-range moisture contents
and water activities (aw)
16. CHANGE IN TEXTURE
What can cause a loss in texture?
Ambient conditions affecting product
• Impact of packaging
• Moisture can be gained or lost
• Storage conditions, temp. & %RH
• Increase temperature = increase aw
Packaging
17. CHANGE IN TEXTURE
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
MoistureContent(%w.b.)
Water Activity
KALE CHIPS
RHc = 0.57
If we can keep aw of chips below 0.57, they maintain the
crisp texture and are not susceptible to molding.
19. MOISTURE MIGRATION
Moisture migration between 2
or more components:
• Filled cookies and cakes, bars with
inclusions (fruit, nuts, chocolate),
fruit and nut mixes, coated cakes
and cookies
22. MOISTURE MIGRATION
Predict the final aw after
mixing and determine how
that affects all components
Cold pressed bar example:
Date paste
Cashews
Coconut
0.63 aw
23. MOISTURE MIGRATION
Pick a common aw
(adjust each component’s aw)
• Each component has a unique texture
• 3 components have very different moisture
contents
24. MOISTURE MIGRATION
Pick a common aw
(adjust each component’s aw)
• Each component has a unique texture
• 3 components have very different moisture
contents
• All 3 components have same water activity
• Maintaining the unique texture and quality of
each component is made possible by formulating
to the same water activity
25. MOISTURE MIGRATION
Other ways to manage moisture migration
Slow diffusion process (fats, starches)
Moisture barrier (chocolate)
Separate packaging
27. NEW FORMULATION
Be aware of moisture pitfalls and avoid:
Lipid
Oxidation
Chips, nuts, fried
items, cheese, and
seeds
Change
in Texture
Crisps, dried fruit,
cookies, crackers,
bars, confections,
functional
ingredients
Moisture
Migration
Filled cookies and
cakes, bars with
inclusions, fruit and
nut mixes, coated
cakes and cookies
28. NEW FORMULATION
Know how ingredient changes
affect the final product
Characterize new formulations
Relate degradation of
functional ingredients to aw
All key information (moisture
content, aw, shelf life, potency)
correlated to find the optimum
product formulation
MoistureContent
(%w.b.)
Water Activity
Formulating a new variety or
clean label reformulation
(no preservatives,
reduced sugar)
30. PRODUCING CONSISTENCY
Consumers are more
inclined to try a new product
if they like the brand
Brand loyalty developed
from producing consistency
Negative experiences
impact future perceptions
32. PRODUCING CONSISTENCY
Use Total Moisture measurements (%MC, aw) in-process
to:
Set process specifications
Track changes during production
Make process adjustments before it’s too late
Deliver a reliable product
Maintain the desired shelf life with no surprises
33. Balance texture and
oxidation
Manage the moisture
within a product
Formulate with key
data
Use Total Moisture
readings to consistently
produce over every
batch
KEY POINTS
Have you every wondered how you can have a nice tender raisin and crispy bran flakes. Or a snack cake that can maintain the texture of all of its components? And the same with a cheese filled cracker. How can you avoid caking and clumping issues with ingredients? Or determine if your product will be susceptible to spoilage?
All of these examples are controlled by water activity. If you understand how water activity works, you will be able to develop products that are stable and desirable to the consumer, and can predict and prevent potential issues.
Determine RHc for product by running an isotherm. VSA Toolkit -> Glass Transition (milk pwd DDI)
RHc = 0.57. If could get product Aw below 0.57, could maintain desired texture and be shelf stable.
BEFORE: Shelf life of less than 30 days, limited market, Undesirable texture changes, Risk of mold growth
AFTER: Shelf life increased to over 6 months, 3 stores to over 60 stores carrying product, Increased confidence in safety and quality
The hard truth about moisture migration – it is driven by water activity and NOT moisture content. It would be easier for people to understand if it was MC – people are more familiar with MC. But if that was true, then we couldn’t have things like Raisin Bran – soggy flakes and hard raisins, Cheese filled Crackers, or delicious Cream filled snack cakes. They would all be gross.
The hard truth about moisture migration – it is driven by water activity and NOT moisture content. It would be easier for people to understand if it was MC – people are more familiar with MC. But if that was true, then we couldn’t have things like Raisin Bran – soggy flakes and hard raisins, Cheese filled Crackers, or delicious Cream filled snack cakes. They would all be gross.
The hard truth about moisture migration – it is driven by water activity and NOT moisture content. It would be easier for people to understand if it was MC – people are more familiar with MC. But if that was true, then we couldn’t have things like Raisin Bran – soggy flakes and hard raisins, Cheese filled Crackers, or delicious Cream filled snack cakes. They would all be gross.
The hard truth about moisture migration – it is driven by water activity and NOT moisture content. It would be easier for people to understand if it was MC – people are more familiar with MC. But if that was true, then we couldn’t have things like Raisin Bran – soggy flakes and hard raisins, Cheese filled Crackers, or delicious Cream filled snack cakes. They would all be gross.