Food properties mastication process

There would be considerable advantage for both sensory scientists and the food industry in knowing what consumers are measuring in order to assess particular textural properties. Despite many real advances in the instrumental measurement of food texture, we are not significantly closer to understanding the sensory cues used in consumer assessment of texture. The mastication process is adjusted to the consistency of the food bolus in real time. From studies of this process is emerging a novel approach to characterisation of food texture. 

Measurement of linear viscolelastic properties is a useful way of gaining information about a food s micro structure and how this influences the food s rheological character (Narine and Marangoni, 1999 Gunsekaran and Ak, 2002). However, many processing operations, and mastication, involve large, rapid deformations during which viscoelastic behavior is nonlinear. 

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