INTENSITY PROFILES OF MASSETER MUSCLE MOTION AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO TEXTURE ATTRIBUTES IN MASTICATION OF CRISPY FOODS

Food texture is a human perception occurring during mastication of food. Texture changes in mastication due to reactions or interactions among food components and saliva produced during chewing. This study identified a mathematical model to express facial muscle motion, which in turn predicts food texture. Crispy foods were the primary foods used in this research. An electronic sensing system (ESS) was used for data acquisition and analysis. Log-normal distribution (LND) of Fourier power (FP) of masseter muscle was the best model for texture studies, with regression coefficients (R2) ranging from 0.79 to 0.92. Sensory hardness (SH) and fracturability (SF) evaluation models were constructed on the basis of data processing and analysis technique. SH and SF scores were closely related to LND-FP parameters, with R2 values of 0.71 and 0.84, respectively, and standard error estimates (SEE) of 0.75 and 0.63, respectively. The ESS is able to characterize hardness and fracturability of crispy foods and may provide a technique for study of other texture attribute evaluations and texture changes during mastication.