Texture of extruded breakfast cereals: Effects of adding milk on the texture properties and on the correlations between instrumental and sensory analyses.

The effect of adding milk on the structure and texture properties of six commercial extruded breakfast cereals was evaluated using instrumental (mechanical and acoustic) and sensory analyses, as well as the correlations between such measurements. Adding milk reduced the force and acoustic properties of the breakfast cereals and affected sensory acceptance, improving or damaging the texture attribute acceptance depending on the product. Regarding sensory and instrumental correlations, the guillotine Blade Set probe stood out for correlations between instrumental and sensory (both descriptive and acceptance) results, followed by the Kramer probe that provided correlations with sensory acceptance. All correlations were positive except for the intensity of adhesiveness, which means that the intensity of adhesiveness was the most critical attribute for the acceptance of breakfast cereals when milk is added. In conclusion, adding milk impacted the texture properties of breakfast cereals and the definition of the best probe to be used depends on the sensory characteristic to be evaluated and, also, on whether milk is added or not.