Marine Devezeaux De Lavergne

Bolus formation and properties

Marine Devezeaux de Lavergne

marine.devezeauxdelavergne@wur.nl

Supervisors:  

Markus Stieger

Prof. Dr. M.A.J.S van Boekel

Project term:  

September 2011 – September 2015

Sponsors:  

TI Food and Nutrition

Introduction

This project aims at a better understanding of food properties impact on dynamics of texture and taste perception. During oral processing (from first bite to swallow), food is submitted to mechanical deformation and lubrication which turn it into a paste called food bolus. All these transformations of the food modify its perception during the eating process.

A model food with controlled structure will be designed with different fracture stress and strain properties. The eventual texture-texture interaction between the first sensory attributes (first bites) and the later on perceptions will be identified using advanced sensory techniques such as temporal dominance of sensation (TDS) and in parallel bolus properties at different stages of the chewing will be analyzed (e.g. rheology).

Aim

The objective is to understand better the dynamics of texture perception:
1. linking TDS with food breakdown through bolus analyses and identify eventual texture-texture interactions.
2. Translate this dynamic approach to actual food systems

3. Understand the correlation between oral movement, food breakdown and texture perception (adding EMG).

Future research

Once the methods of bolus analyses will be set and the sensory panel will be trained. A model sausage with varying texture properties will be tested as well in order to translate the approach to a food system.

At a later stage, the data obtained will be combined with the use of electromyography (EMG). This will enable to link food properties and sensory perception to oral movements.

References

Hutching, J., & Lillford, P. (1988). the perception of food texture philosophy of the breakdown path. Journal of texture studies 28, 103-115.
Lenfant, F., Loret, C., Pineau, N., Hartmann, C., & Martin, N. (2009). Perception of oral food breakdown. The concept of sensory trajectory. Appetite 59, 659–667.
Lucas, P., Prinz, J., Agrawal, K., & Bruce, I. (2004). Food texture and its effect on ingestion, mastication and swallowing. Journal of Texture Studies 35, 159-170.
Mosca, A. C., Velde, F. v., Bult, J. H., Boekel, M. V., & Stieger, M. (2011). Effect of gel texture and sucrose spatial ditribution on sweetness perception.
Sala, G., & Stieger, M. (2011). Time to first fracture affects sweetness perception of gels.