2.3. Texture analysis
2.3.1. Gel strength and crispness
A TA-XT2i Texture Analyzer (Stable Micro Systems Ltd., Vienna
153 Court, Surrey, UK) was used to measure the gel strength of the
chilled cooked dough and the crispness for the fried crackers,
respectively. The chilled cooked dough was cut into a cube
(3.0 cm 3.0 cm 3.0 cm) for fish cracker or a cylinder with
a 3.0 cm height for cassava cracker before measuring its gel
strength. The fried crackers were directly used for measuring their
crispness. The tests were performed using a cylindrical probe (5-
mm diameter) by subjecting the chilled cooked dough to 50%
deformation. The probe moved at 2 mm/s. The force-time curve
was recorded and analyzed using the software Texture Exponent 32
(Surrey, UK). The maximum peak force gives the gel strength, and
the first peak force denotes the crispness. Fifteen samples were
employed for each substitution level. Results are expressed as
grams. The greater the gel strength while the lower the crispness,
the greater the force.