Abstract
BackgroundMany studies have shown that changes in food textures are able to reduce food intake via longer oral processing and slower eating rate, without a resultant decrease in food liking or post-meal fullness. Scope and approachThe current paper consolidates findings from to date and summarizes current knowledge on (i) how specific food textures influence oral processing, and (ii) how oral processing influence eating rate and food intake. An overview is presented of potential food texture based applications for future opportunities to moderate energy intake. Key findings and conclusionsOral processing characteristics that particularly influence both eating rate and food intake are bite sizes and chewing behaviour. Increasing the hardness and elasticity of solid foods has been shown to increase chews per bite and decrease bite sizes to reduce eating rate and food intake. By contrast, increasing lubrication can stimulate faster eating rates by reducing the chews per bite required to agglomerate a swallowable bolus. The shape and size of foods can be designed to either directly influence the bite sizes or to manipulate surface area and moisture uptake to influence bolus formation and through this, eating rate and food intake. For semi-solid foods, manipulations in viscosity and particle sizes have been shown to affect eating rate and intake. The current evidence supports a new and largely underutilised opportunity to apply texture manipulations together with decreasing energy densities to moderate the flow of calories through our diets and to support better long-term energy intake control.
Highlights
Rising rates of diet based, non-communicable diseases are negatively related to both physical and mental health
The current review aims to bridge these disciplines to summarise the available evidence on how specific food textures influence oral processing and energy intake
Solid foods require extensive oral processing and need to be broken down in to smaller particles, lubricated with saliva until particles can agglomerate to form a viscoelastic bolus that can be safely swallowed. These variations in oral processing behaviours result in large differences in eating rate, with liquids being significantly faster than semi-solids and solids
Summary
Rising rates of diet based, non-communicable diseases are negatively related to both physical and mental health. In response to the public health challenges associated with the rise in non-communicable disease, concerted efforts are being made by governments and food producers to reformulate products to reduce energy density, and enhance nutrient density (Rimmer, 2018). This has traditionally been focused on reducing public health sensitive nutrients such as salt, sugar and fat and limiting portion sizes. Foods textural properties are the major determinants of its eating rate (g/min), in addition to minor effects of flavour intensity (Bolhuis, Lakemond, de Wijk, Luning, & de Graaf, 2011), and as a function of differences in individual character istics such as liking, familiarity, oral physiology, age, and gender (Engelen, Fontijn-Tekamp, & van der Bilt, 2005; Ketel et al, 2019). An overview will be presented of potential applications for future opportunities to mod erate energy intake
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