Knowra Food texture Food texture Food texture is the set of tactile and structural qualities perceived when food is handled or eaten, including firmness, smoothness, crispness, and viscosity.
Rheology : The study of how materials deform and flow under applied forces. Its measures describe how foods flow, stretch, and resist deformation.
Viscosity : A fluid's resistance to flow under an applied force. It describes thickness in liquids and semiliquid foods such as sauces.
Texture profile analysis : An instrumental test that compresses food repeatedly to estimate textural properties. It converts aspects of bite and compression into measurements used in food quality assessment.
Flavor : The combined perception of taste, smell, and other sensations produced by food. Flavor and texture interact during eating but arise from distinct sensory qualities.
Tribology : The study of friction, lubrication, and wear between interacting surfaces. Friction and lubrication between food and oral surfaces shape perceived smoothness and creaminess.
Elasticity : The ability of a material to return toward its original shape after deformation. Elastic recovery distinguishes springy foods from those that stay compressed or break.
Texture analyzer : An instrument that measures a material's response to controlled compression, tension, or cutting. It quantifies forces associated with firmness, fracture, and other food texture traits.
Taste : The sensory perception of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami stimuli. Taste concerns chemical qualities, whereas texture concerns physical contact and structure.
Mastication : The process of chewing that breaks food down and mixes it with saliva. Chewing changes food structure while generating the forces and sensations used to judge texture.
Hardness : A material's resistance to indentation, scratching, or permanent deformation. It captures the force needed to bite or press a food.
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