Texture cannot be added: It's the architecture of mouthfeel

In the world of food, we often talk about adding flavour: a dash of salt, a sprinkle of spice, or a splash of vanilla extract. These are simple, direct ways to alter the sensory experience. But what about texture? You can't just pour in a "crunchiness" concentrate or stir in "chewiness" powder.

Texture cannot be added. It is the fundamental architecture of a food product, designed and built into the very structure of the ingredients and their interactions.

Consider a towering building. You can paint it any colour you like, but you can’t simply "add" a strong foundation after the fact. The foundation, like a product’s texture, must be part of the initial design. It's the result of carefully chosen materials (ingredients) and precise construction methods (processing).

A perfectly chewy granola bar isn't chewy because of a single chewy ingredient. It's the result of a delicate balance of moisture content, binding agents, and the size and type of the grains. A crispy cracker doesn't get its snap from an additive; it gets it from the controlled removal of moisture during baking.

See this example of how chewiness or crispness is measured via a Three Point Bend test:

By treating texture as a foundational element, not an afterthought, food innovators can build products that are not only delicious but also structurally sound and satisfying. It's a mindset shift from simply flavouring ingredients to architecting a complete, multi-sensory experience.

The art of subtraction and transformation

When we think about creating something, we usually focus on addition - adding ingredients, adding layers, adding complexity. But in food science, achieving the perfect texture is often a masterclass in controlled transformation and, surprisingly, subtraction.

Texture cannot be added. It is the result of a deliberate journey of change.

Think of a chef making a rich, creamy sauce. They don't just "add" thickness. They often start with a liquid and a thickening agent, then use heat to activate a process of transformation, such as gelatinization or protein denaturation, that changes the structure of the sauce. Or they may simply remove water through reduction, transforming a thin liquid into a velvety, concentrated consistency. The texture is created by what you do, not just what you put in.

See this example of how creaminess/consistency is measured:

Similarly, achieving a perfectly flaky croissant isn’t about adding "flakiness." It’s about a meticulously choreographed process of folding and rolling butter into dough, then baking at a temperature that creates steam, which in turn separates the layers. The airy, delicate texture is born from the transformation of simple ingredients under specific conditions.

See this example of how flakiness/crispness is measured:

This is the art of texture: a powerful and precise craft that relies on manipulating ingredients through physical and chemical change. It's about heat, time, pressure, and moisture—the tools of transformation that create the mouthfeel we crave.

Texture as a journey, not a destination

In many aspects of our lives, we seek a quick fix or an instant result. We want to add a component and see an immediate change. But when it comes to the food we eat, texture is not a static destination you arrive at; it's a dynamic journey that unfolds in a series of sensory events.

Texture cannot be added. It is a multi-stage, evolving experience.

The moment a food enters your mouth, your brain begins to process a complex sequence of textural cues:

• The initial touch: Is it smooth or rough? Hard or soft?
• The first bite: Does it snap, crumble, or resist?
• The chew: Does it melt away, become elastic, or maintain its structure?
• The swallow: Is it easy to swallow, or does it leave a lingering feel?

This journey is why texture is so powerful. A chocolate bar with a thin, snappy shell and a smooth, melting core provides a completely different experience from a truffle that is uniformly soft. You can’t simply "add" one of these experiences. They are the result of designing a sequence of events.

By understanding texture as a journey, food scientists and developers can create products that are not only texturally appealing but also emotionally satisfying, delivering a complete and memorable experience from the first bite to the last.

A myriad of textural properties

Whether its crispness, adhesiveness, springiness or creaminess that is to become your product’s dominant textural feature, you’ll need to understand how to optimise their measurement.  Browse our range of over 40 textural properties to enhance your understanding of the ways to measure and the analysis to apply to your data whatever your textural goal.

Different parts of the mouth and various teeth work together to process the texture of food, creating a complex sensory experience. This process can be broken down into three main phases: initial contact, mastication (chewing), and post-mastication.