Masticatory jaw movement recordings: A new method to investigate food texture

Abstract

Food texture is known to influence several mastication parameters such as forces, muscular activities or mandibular displacement. This preliminary study was conducted to examine whether jaw movement recordings could be a reliable method to investigate food texture properties. Masticatory movements were recorded with an electromagnetic system. The subjects sat with their head in a magnetic field. Two coils were attached on the central upper and lower incisors. These receiver coils recorded a current when in the magnetic field. Five foods were chosen to display various rheological behaviours (meat, coconut, 2 cheeses and chocolate). All samples were prepared in standardised dominoe shape. Six replicates of each food were randomly presented and 8 subjects, free of any dental pathology, were asked to perform free style mastication. Durations, amplitudes and velocities of opening and closing phases of the masticatory cycles were measured. These movement parameters allowed discrimination between the foods. For all parameters there was significant variation between subjects. The main finding was the demonstration that mastication differed with the type of food chewed and thus this method of recording mandibular movements during mastication could be of a great interest for objective studies of food texture and to determine the basis of food texture perception.