The American Association of Cereal Chemists International (AACCI) has approved a laser topography method for determining bread volume. Developed by Perten Instruments of Stockholm, the bread volume measurement (BVM) method was assessed by a collaborative study conducted by the AACCI Physical Testing Methods Technical Committee. The method demonstrated acceptable precision for samples with volumes ranging from 200 to 2800 mL, making it suitable for use in the milling and baking industries. A laser topography image of a typical bread loaf. The inset shows a surface mesh reconstructed from the scanned point cloud. Courtesy of Perten Instruments. “We are excited to offer the BVM as a replacement method to the laborious and less accurate seed displacement tests in current use at many test bake labs and commercial bakeries,” said Mark Bason, Perten’s rheology business development manager. Current displacement measurement methods “are cumbersome; poorly suited to compressible, sticky or creased products; prone to error; and, to date, lack standardization,” according to the technical committee’s report. Perten’s BVM analyzer measures loaf dimensions and archives the results, including a 3-D, rotatable image. The archived data and images can be used for further analysis, production quality control and audit trails. For more information, visit www.aaccnet.org and www.perten.com.