Indentation technique: Overview and applications in food science

Abstract

Indentation technique also known as instrumented indentation testing (IIT) has been widely used for characterization of mechanical properties of materials of different nature and different levels. This technique has been mostly used in the field of metallic materials, although in recent years its use has expanded to the biological area, and recently has been also used in the area of food science. The aim of this chapter is to show the general aspects of the indentation technique such as definition, measurement methods and data analysis, measured mechanical parameters, and examples of using the indentation technique in biological materials and specifically in food science. The main contribution of this chapter is to offer the reader a basic understanding of the technique and to show its scope for its possible application in the characterization of food mechanical properties.