After months of work, scientists at the French National Institute for Agronomical Research in Nantes were able to analyse the cornflake’s alveolar structure and identify the factors affecting its crunchiness.

They used a pioneering mechanism to test the acoustic performance of the most famous breakfast cereal, having first checked that the sound signals they received corresponded accurately to the impressions of cornflake eaters.

Laurent Chaunier and Denis Lourdin went on to reveal why Argentine Plata corn stays flaky when most European varieties do not. They found that crunchiness depends not so much on the manufacturing method as on the alveolar structure, in particular the interface between proteins and starch. The two researchers used a team of professional tasters to tell them which cornflakes made the most satisfying sounds in the mouth, and which went soggy in milk and stuck to their palates.

After measuring the acoustic signal, M Chaunier and M Lourdin discovered that the best cornflakes offered moderate resistance under the teeth and produced a balance of high and low frequencies. The impression of crunchiness results from the crushing of miniature bubbles formed in each flake as water evaporates at a temperature of about 200C (392F) during the cooking process.

The flakes are made from the hard kernel of the grain, which is mixed with other ingredients such as water and sugar and then cooked and flattened.

“When we first looked at the alveolar structure, good and bad cornflakes appeared very similar,” said M Chaunier. “But when we looked in smaller detail we could see there was in fact a difference in the interface between the proteins and the starch.” Their research comes as the French cereal industry seeks to develop a corn to rival the Argentine Plata variety, which is hailed by connoisseurs as making the best cornflakes.

Cornflake manufacturers tend to shun European corn because it is floury and often damp when harvested. Most of it is fed to livestock or used to make beer. However, European maize farmers want to sell some of their produce to firms such as Kellogg’s, which annually imports 400,000 tonnes of Argentinian corn into Europe.

Serge David, of the Arvalis Vegetable Institute in France, said: “The best cornflakes come from corn that has dried naturally before being harvested. In Europe, it has to be dried artificially, which means it cracks and tends to break into small pieces when cooked.”

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