Abstract

A large number of methods and instruments have been used for measuring the melting and texture properties of margarine and spread. All these methods assume that margarine or spreads are isotropic materials. Depending on the scale of the sample, such statement is sometimes questionable in particular when using miniaturized samples. This paper gives an overview of the methods adopted and evaluates its suitability to analyze the melting and textural characteristics of spreads. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used to analyze the melting property of spread. Textural evaluation was carried out on spread with cone penetration, creep analysis and compression test using cylinder. DSC was found to be not reproducible due to the small size of the sample; larger sample are recommended. Creep analysis by DMA was found to be a sensitive method in detecting the differences in textural attributes of spread.

Key words: Emulsion, texture, calorimetry, spread, lipid.