Oral processing characteristics of solid meal components, and relations with food composition, sensory attributes & expected-satiation

Abstract

The current obesogenic food environment is characterized by energy dense, softly textured foods that can be eaten quickly. Previous studies suggest that oral processing characteristics such as large bite size, low number of chews and low orosensory exposure contribute to the low satiating efficiency of these foods. The current study investigated the oral processing characteristics of 35-solid meal components and examined associations between oral processing characteristics, food composition, sensory properties and expected satiation. A panel of 15 subjects consumed 50 g of 35-foods representing various staples (potatoes, rice, pasta), vegetables (broccoli, carrot), and protein rich foods such as meat and fish. Subjects were video-recorded during consumption of each food and their eating behaviours were coded for the number of bites, chews and swallows and derived measures such as chewing-rate, eating-rate, bite-size, and orosensory residence time. Subjects rated expected fullness for the 35-foods and the sensory differences were quantified using a separate trained sensory panel. Oro-sensory residence time was highly correlated with the number of chews (R2 = 0.98) and chew-rate was relatively constant at approximately 1 chew/s. Expected fullness was positively correlated with energy density (R2 = 0.40), protein (R2 = 0.33) and the sensory attributes chewiness (R2 = 0.15) and saltiness (R2 = 0.12). Foods that were consumed in smaller bites, were chewed for longer and were expected to impart a higher satiation. This information may be used to design foods/meals lower in energy and higher in satiating efficiency per kcal consumed.