Campden BRI to research solutions for biscuit and cracker ‘checking’
Campden BRI is calling for companies to join a new research project to better understand what causes ‘checking’ in biscuits and crackers.
Broken biscuits and crackers can be rejected by retailers and a cause of consumer complaints, which can damage brand reputation. That’s why Campden is encouraging companies to come together to help prevent the problem.
“The underlying mechanisms and conditions that lead to biscuits and crackers breaking – known in the industry as checking – are poorly understood,” says a spokesman for Campden. “This new club project will provide a better understanding of the factors that lead to checking, predict when it’s likely to occur and identify strategies to prevent it.”
Previous research carried out in collaboration with Campden showed that, at particular humidities, the rim of a biscuit expands and the centre contracts. Little work has been published in this area since, and checking remains a problem.
Campden will use its pilot baking facilities, extensive analytical equipment and simulation software to study the effect of different parameters on checking.
Participating companies will have the opportunity to steer the project work, and results will be shared among the project members. The club project will begin in March 2019 and run for three years.
A big help to solve that problem would to reduce the fat content and increase the water percentage, I know they are producing on a large scale, so they want all the research first, but I would reduce the fat content by 0.02% and increase the water content by 0.015%