Study of the distribution of water within a biscuit during cooling; effect on the checking and the breakage.

The fragility of biscuits yields checking (cracks) and eventually breakage, which originated mainly from heterogeneity in water distribution in the thickness dimension (surface vs centre) and also to the plan dimension (edge vs centre) of the product. The objective of the BRICE project is to study the impact of the distribution of water on the occurrence of checking and breakage (C&B) in biscuits, considering a round and thick biscuit and a rectangular and thinner biscuit presenting piercing points. C&B counting was performed over 15 days of storage (the time needed to reach stability). A higher C&B occurrence was observed in the round biscuits, while rectangular biscuits had a near-zero C&B rate. The Karl Fischer method was combined with an automated NIR imaging system to monitor the water distribution at the centres and surfaces of the products, as well as the apparition of C&B. The results confirmed that minuscule water gradients are involved.