The texture properties that were affected by drying time were used for constructing prediction models.
Variations in hardness, gumminess or chewiness were accurately predicted
(R2= 0.96) using polynomial regression equations (Figure 4),
which can also be used to monitor changes in jelly texture during drying.
Hardness, gumminess and chewiness are texture descriptors particularly applicable to gelled confections (Borwankar,
1992). Hardness is directly proportional to the maximum force required for the jellies to be deformed in the first bite.
Gumminess is the result of multiplying hardness × cohesiveness, while chewiness is the result of multiplying hardness × cohesiveness × springiness. In our case, jellies had a high moisture level during drying and their elasticity was not fully developed. Samples remained strongly deformed after thefirst bite, which decreased their cohesiveness and springiness, whose values strongly depend on mechanical behavior during the second bite. This may explain, on the one hand, why the changes in cohesiveness and springiness during drying were not relevant, and, on the other hand, why hardness, gumminess and chewiness provided similar information to that provided by a simple compression or penetration test. The jelly composition must also be taken into account. The effects of drying on cohesiveness and springiness might have been relevant in jellies with a higher content of gelatin or other gelling agents, because more elastic
samples might have better recovered their shape after the first deformation made in the TPA.