Assessment of Textural Properties of Puffed Corn Cakes during Storage at Different Relative Humidity

Moisture adsorption is considered a critical factor during production and shelf-life of puffed corn cakes (PCC). This study aims to develop and validate an instrumental method and a mathematical model for the characterization of the textural modifications caused by the moisture adsorption in PCC. For that purpose, PCC were stored at different relative humidities to achieve a wide range of water activities (from 0.1 to 0.8 at 22 ± 1 °C). A flexion–compression test was successfully validated in order to characterize the average textural properties of a PCC batch. A mathematical model considering consecutive elastic and plastic zones satisfactorily fitted (average VAR 99.65% and MRE 3.29%) the average stress–strain profiles of PCC and reported useful textural parameters, such as the deformability modulus (E), critical strain (ε(c)), and n curvature parameter. The structural modifications caused by moisture adsorption led to the reduction in E and n and the increase in ε(c). Even minor changes on the PCC moisture content involve remarkable modifications of the textural properties, which has to be considered for industry and retail distribution.