Sep 26 2011 --- The Texicon food texture language was introduced as a way to translate the consumer texture experience into measurable scientific terms that allow National Starch to help customers very quickly target and achieve the perfect texture in their products. The Texicon language is the newest foundational tool in the company’s DIAL-IN Texture Technology, a comprehensive data-driven approach to texture optimization that provides the shortest path to the perfect texture.

“The industry now has a robust, globally relevant language to help product developers elevate texture to the equal of flavor in the formulation process,” said Joseph Light, global head of development, National Starch/Corn Products International. “By translating what consumers like and dislike about food texture into scientific attributes whose intensity we can measure, we can make a direct, rapid connection to a texture solution to support what we know will be an appealing finished product.”

An innovation developed and tested over years and formally codified just recently, “National Starch’s Texicon language helps people understand the building blocks of a consumer-preferred texture in a range of applications around the world,” said Helen Simpson, sensory manager, National Starch/Corn Products International. “We now know that what a consumer calls ‘creamy’ is actually a multifaceted texture experience that results from differing intensities of at least 15 sensory and rheology attributes, such as mouthcoating, meltaway and oral viscosity. Understanding this gives us the ability to characterize various products by the specific, precise attributes that constitute a creamy experience in a product like yogurt, and plot them on a texture map. Our texture maps position commercial products on a map with texture attributes as the directional markers so we can easily see the texture similarities and differences.

From there we can help our customers target and achieve the luscious smoothness consumers want.” Building on decades of work by pioneering sensory scientists, the Texicon language offers new and ever more precise ways of characterizing texture. For example, integrated consumer terms include “crinchy” to describe the texture experience between crunchy and crispy. The Texicon language also includes proprietary scientific words such as “flumpy,” which was invented to pinpoint a particular characteristic of mayonnaise as it is spooned from the jar.

In work leading to today’s introduction, National Starch has developed the Texicon texture language and texture maps for a wide range of low- and high-moisture systems, from baked snacks to creamy dressings and barbecue sauces to yogurt and sour cream and more. These have led directly to success stories for manufacturers who wanted to create new textures or maintain texture when removing or adding ingredients for cost or nutrition reasons.