INSTRUMENTAL TEXTURE OF TORRONE OF TAURIANOVA (REGGIO CALABRIA, SOUTHERN ITALY)

Torrone is a typical Italian confection prepared from almonds, honey, sugars and/or chocolate. A textural attribute assessment of puncture and cutting forces, hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, springiness and chewiness was performed on two types of Italian torrone, "vaniglia duro" and "gianduja tenero", by means of puncture test, cutting test and Texture Profile Analysis to characterize and identify the particular aspects of these local products. Besides the softer texture of the "gianduja tenero", there was a remarkable manufacturing variability; these differences were probably due to different manufacturing conditions (heating times and/or temperatures).