Southborough Historical Society

Southborough, MA 

BURNETT'S FOOD PRODUCTS

Burnett Vanilla Pudding

The following is taken from the Journal of Dentistry, Laboratory for Oral Physiology, Tufts College Dental School, Boston, Mass., and the Department of Physcology, Brown University, Providence, R.I., by Manly, Pfaffman, Lothrop, and Keyser, published in June 1952, pages 307 & 308.  This is a brief highlight from the Journal which is technical, but is interesting for its strange use for Burnett’s Pudding.

THICKNESS OF DISCS (mm)

Estimation of Threshold for Detection of Changes in Texture:  In the previ­ous tests it is probable that the thresholds given are for one or two primary modalities. The size and hardness judgments most likely combine position and deep pressure estimation while touch is probably a single modality. In masti­cation of food, however, many of the sensations experienced are concerned with the texture of the food, which probably combines estimations of a number of the properties including hardness, toughness, friability, vibration, and sound. No literature could be found as a guide to selection of techniques for approach­ing this problem. Trials were made with pulverized breakfast food, but in every instance the preparation and maintenance of reproducible standards could not be achieved.

Finally a parameter was selected which involved the detection of graded quantities of dentifrice grade calcium carbonate suspended homogeneously in a bland pudding. Burnett's brand of instant pudding, vanilla flavor, was prepared according to instructions by mixing the powder with milk. To differ­ent batches of this were added 0.1, 1.0, 2.0, 2.9, 4.8, 7.4, 9.1, 17, 23, and 29 per cent calcium carbonate. This gave three series of puddings designed for different thresholds; one included the 1.1, 1, 2, and 2.0 per cent, another the 2.9, 4.8, 7.4, and 9.1 per cent and the third, the 9, 17, 23, arid 29 per cent. For practical reasons the tests were abbreviated somewhat from that used for the presentation of disks. The order of presentation in each case was ADCB DACB A. A total of ten individuals with natural dentitions and ten with artificial dentitions was studied.

In this test the subject was instructed to report whether or not he could detect the "grit," and was asked to make his estimations by rubbing the pudding between his teeth. This type of judgment would be known as an absolute threshold, because the subject reports when he can first detect the presence of the substance and does not attempt to judge differences among the concentra­tions presented. The series for the denture cases was not broad enough, and six of the thresholds for individuals fell beyond its limits. Hence the judgments could not be combined and solved graphically. Instead the judgments of each individual were tabulated, the threshold estimated roughly, and grouped into four categories of CaCOs concentration.”

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LAST UPDATE: Dec 27, 2006

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