An Approach to Understanding Creaminess

Creaminess is a textural attribute present in many foods but at present it is not possible to describe it in rheological terms. This work has been specifically designed to increase our understanding of creaminess in soups. Panels have shown that a soup is only considered creamy when it has a completely smooth mouthfeel and when the viscosity exceeds a threshold value of 50 cps. It has been observed that a maximum creamy sensation is obtained when a certain degree of sliminess is also present. Soups have been formulated using a range of 13 starches and gums and their contributions to the creamy an slimy mouthfeel determined using quantitative sensory panels. Rheological measurements have shown that the sensory sliminess score is linearly related to the pseudoplasticity constant.