The measurement of cake crumb strength

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Abstract
Summary: A short survey is given of the various types of instruments which have been and are at present being used to evaluate cake crumb strength.The Panimeter is an instrument in current use, and it has been designed to measure crumb strength by compressing a sample under conditions of constant stress. Certain modifications in design have been made in order to improve the general performance of the instrument, including complete automation of the test and the provision for making constant strain tests. Elasticity and firmness tests have also been made on margarine and butter with the Panimeter.A new instrument, the Rotary Cutter, has been built with which attempts have been made to assess crumb strength from the forces developed when a rotating blade cuts a spiral path in a cake sample. A continuous record of crumb strength is obtained by transmitting the forces via a potentiometer and Wheatstone bridge circuit to a pen recorder.A comparison is made of the results produced by the instruments from tests carried out on sandwich cakes prepared from fats of varying hardness.