Gluten-free biscuit production enhanced with in line image analysis

Chilean researchers have found that computer vision offers benefits over conventional colour-measuring instruments for biscuit manufacturers in that it enables the analysis of the whole biscuit surface, and can effectively determine surface cracks and other defects.

The authors, who published their findings in the journal, LWT – Food Science and Technology, said an image analysis technique based on a computerized vision system (CVS) tracked changes in the quality parameters and physical properties of corn biscuits during baking in real time.

Colour, crust browning and specific volume of batter is essential to the manufacture of biscuits of good quality, but these properties are rarely measured directly in fermenting batter due to lack of suitable instrumentation, state the researchers.

And they claim that computer vision has previously been used to objectively measure the colour of other foods, such as pizzas, cracker biscuits, and crisps.

The team notes that corn and rice flours are viable alternative to gluten based biscuits but can present proofing challenges for manufacturers and can impart an unusual texture and taste to products, exhibiting a dry crumb that results in poor mouthfeel and poor flavour.
Thus measuring structural changes could aid formulation of biscuits based on corn flour.