For the food industry, baked goods product analysis has never been more important as it reveals a lot of information about the characteristics of food. In fact, we cannot underestimate the huge impact that food product analysis has had on enhancing the quality of the product to meet customer requirements.
For those producing baked goods many years ago, trying to outdo their competitors would have been extremely challenging as they had to rely on few resources to do so. In fact, the analysis of bread and other baked goods would have been conducted solely by a human panel which was subjective, expensive and it was a lengthy process. However, as photography and computer analysis have developed, larger bakeries have considered integrating more objective methods into their analysis processes. Nowadays, it is even easier to conduct food product analysis on an array of foods including baked goods as innovative technology has permitted analysis tools such as C-Cell to assist us.
What is C-Cell?
C-Cell is an advanced and dynamic machine owned and distributed by Calibre Control and it can be described as an analyser that is utilised to measure the quality of bakery products. These quality results range from internal structure and slice shape measurements to in-depth bread scoring and internal feature analysis. The results of these tests are easy to understand as they are segmented into categories such as size, shape, cell numbers, cell orientation and colour.
Furthermore, C-Cell is a product that caters to a myriad of companies on a global scale, including wheat breeders, flour millers, ingredient producers, snack food producers and chocolate producers. For wheat breeders, it allows them to test new varieties to assess the potential of new types of bread early on. This can help them not to fall behind in the baked goods market by avoiding sticking solely to a few types of bread. For flour millers, it allows them to ensure that the flour adheres to appropriate quality standards to cater to international guidelines.
Furthermore, bakers can use C-Cell to give them real time data which enables them to reassess the quality of their recipes. Ingredient suppliers can also avail of the tool to gather data in order to anticipate new developments and stay ahead of the curve. For those manufacturers of bakery tools and equipment, C-Cell can be critical in seeing the relationship between equipment design and the cellular structure of baked products. Lastly, for academics in the field of cereal science, the tool can be vital for propelling their research.
In terms of food testing, it also offers a glimpse into valuable process conditions as well as crumb structure. Crumb structure is a vital part of high quality baking, impacting those producing the bread by influencing the way a product appears, feels and tastes. Crumb structure can refer to the internal cell shape, the uniformity of the cells, the cells size and the thickness of the cell walls. Getting the crumb structure right is pivotal for a company's success, which can be achieved through accurate crumb analysis.
With C-Cell, a baked product slice can be examined using detailed crumb analysis permitting a view of the internal cellular structure of the sample. By using a baking quality analyser to assess crumb structure, companies are able to stay ahead of the competition as they don't have to rely on archaic methods of assessing the textural properties of baked goods such as sensory bread scoring which can be quite time-consuming.
How does C-Cell work?
Although it may seem complicated at first, the process of using C-Cell is actually incredibly straightforward. Firstly, you will be required to load a sample into the tray and close it. At this stage, it will trigger the C-Cell to capture a high-resolution digital image of the sample. This could be a slice of bread or a different type of baked good item which it will then analyse on a granular level by considering the colour, the number, the size of the cells or holes in and the dimensions of that slice etc.
The device captures two images of the sample at the same time in order to generate a depth of contrast and lighting that will provide a larger range and more in depth results. These images can also be examined on other devices as they can be transferred to those that are compatible with the machine. C-Cell also saves this data to a secure database and it facilitates the exporting of data in different formats, including reports and spreadsheets, which is a streamlined and convenient process.
Furthermore, the great thing about this modern method of analysis, is that you will be able to get a detailed data analysis on the screen in front of you with multiple measurements that are clear to see. The results that you get from quality testing and the analysis of bread and baked products are essential to meet food standards and to ensure consistent quality that adheres to consumers' expectations.
If you are testing crumb structure, you will avail of the digital imaging system to see the attributes of that crumb including internal structure, number of cells, cell diameter, net cell elongation, wall thickness, non-uniformity and Lab crumb colour. At this stage, you can also use the bread scoring function featured on the C-Cell baking analyser which allows bakeries to set target for themselves to enhance and improve their production processes for certain baked good items.
How does C-Cell analyse baked goods?
C-cell analysis entails considering over 48 parameters in each sample which can be configured to include a scoring system. The single-figure bread score will make it easy to comprehend how the bread measures up to your expectations.
The C-Cell enables the user to gain valuable, objective data for several critical parameters when it comes to analysing baked product quality, including softness, as the C-Cell can provide a texture profile analysis to characterise the softness of a sample. The C-Cell also gives indications on colour as it provides lab* colour results and data such as internal crumb colour, external crust colour and depth.
Furthermore, you can expect to get data on the dimensions of your sample including measurements relating to the sample's area, width and even optimum packaging dimensions. Of course, the C-Cell also provides information on the shape and visual appearance of the sample including concavity, oven spring and shoulder and bottom roundness.
Moulding performance data can also be seen with crumb cell elongation measurements offering a visual guide to axis of elongation. This will also reveal the level of curvature of the internal crumb structure and give information on the specific degree of circulation. We can also measure cell size, which will allow us to quantify holes, wall thickness, cell areas and volumes.
What are the benefits of using C-Cell?
C-Cell is a modern piece of equipment that has many impressive benefits, including making quality control more accessible for those involved in the production process in a bakery. Not only is C-Cell valuable for quality control, but it also helps to minimise human error and maximise production. By exposing minor issues and inconsistencies with products or highlighting instances where better ingredients need to be used, the results that the C-Cell offers are instrumental in ensuring baked good producers meet targets, optimising the baking process and ensuring a fully functional environment.
Moreover, quantifying cell data is inexorably tied to guaranteeing that consistency is maintained when a product is made, thus eliminating any waste. As quality control and research development is so important in commercial bakeries on a global scale, it is more crucial than ever that these bakeries rely on tools such as C-Cell to ensure they meet the worldwide standards.
More specifically, those bakeries carrying out crumb structure using the C-Cell are able to gather an in-depth look at the impact of wheat variety on baking quality, identify the effects of wheat and non-wheat components in bread as well as analyse the impact of dough conditioners and emulsifiers on the sensory qualities of bread.
All of this information in the form of objective results that are provided to these bakeries using the C-Cell can help them to excel, whether that is by rapidly detecting potential damage to baked goods to prevent waste, or allowing them to stay ahead of the curve and increase productivity.
As the advanced scoring system makes this device applicable for a myriad of products, it means that bakeries can use the one method of analysis for multiple baked good items thus enhancing the likelihood of them making improvements in production processes and developing their level of research in the future. As this useful information can be stored in the C-Cell archives, it is easy to go back and review your findings whenever you like without having to restart the entire process again.
Want more information?
For those wanting to avail of modern technology to completely transform the way baked good products are analysed, now is the time. With innovative devices such as C-Cell at your fingertips, there will be no limits to what you can achieve in the baked goods industry.
C-Cell is manufactured in the UK by Calibre Control International Ltd and is now used by many reputable bakeries. For more information about how to analyse baked goods using the C-Cell baking quality analyser and the benefits of doing so, contact us.