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ME103: Sourdough material analysis
In ME103, we treated sourdough like a real material system and tested how hydration and protein levels change its mechanical behavior.
Background
In this ME103 project, we investigated sourdough as a mechanical material by focusing on strain, stress, creep, and elasticity. We varied hydration and protein levels and linked those inputs to crumb structure and structural integrity. Bread behaves as a viscoelastic material, so its response is both elastic and time dependent, which makes it hard to predict without direct testing.
We used a standard compression setup to measure strain in real time while samples deformed under load. With image processing and load cell data, we calculated stress, strain, and creep behavior under controlled conditions.
Technical architecture
We baked all specimens as Pullman loaves to keep geometry consistent. The testing apparatus combined compression with imaging so we could directly correlate force and deformation. Strain was analyzed with edge based, random, and 10×10 grid tracking methods to compare displacement estimates across the crumb.
Results
We found that hydration and protein content both strongly affect structural integrity. Higher hydration produced softer crumbs with larger displacement, while higher protein produced denser and more elastic behavior. The combination of higher hydration and protein improved elasticity in ways that could help with texture and shelf life. The point of this work was to give recipe decisions actual quantitative support instead of relying only on feel.