Mastication and food texture perception: Variation with age

Mastication is the first transformation process to which food is subjected during feeding. During this in-mouth process, most of sensory properties of the food such as texture, flavour and taste are perceived. Analysing the chewing patterns and their adaptation to the food structure, allows some understanding of the dynamics of texture perception. The intra-oral food manipulation that occurs during the opening phase of chewing cycles is believed to participate in texture perception although its role is difficult to demonstrate. In contrast, close relationships between muscle activity during the closing phase and the mechanical properties of food are established, and occur as early as the first bite. Strong evidence suggests that muscle activity could act as a sensory clue for certain food sensory properties such as tenderness of meat. Aging in healthy dentate subjects induces moderate alterations in neuro-muscular activity which could be partly compensated by changes in chewing behaviour such as lengthening of the chewing sequence. As a consequence, texture perception appears well preserved during healthy aging.