Word usage, liking, and perception of food texture in naive consumers

Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Ma, Kai Kai
- Graduate Program:
- Food Science
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- September 30, 2024
- Committee Members:
- Robert Roberts, Program Head/Chair
John Hayes, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Helene Hopfer, Major Field Member
Nicole Etter (she/her), Outside Unit & Field Member
Greg Ziegler, Major Field Member - Keywords:
- texture perception
mouthfeel
particle size
salivary flow
consumer-based language
sugar reduction
chalky
fiber
food consumption
food preference - Abstract:
- Food texture is one of the major drivers of overall food liking besides taste/flavor (Moskowitz & Krieger, 1995; Rohm, 1990; Szczesniak, 1963, 1971; Yoshikawa et al., 1970). When the expectations of food texture are violated, this may indicate a change in food quality and thus affect food acceptance (Szczesniak, 2002). The complexity of textures in food can increase the difficulty in understanding how each texture attribute is perceived across various food forms: solid, semi-solid, or liquid. Although structural properties of food can be measured by instruments, there is still a gap between instrumental measurements and sensory tests in understanding texture perception because it is hard to mimic all conditions of the oral process using machines. The dynamic oral processing of food includes the initial bite of the food, the chewing of the food and the incorporation of saliva in the mouth to form a food bolus and ends with residue sensation after swallowing. Intrinsic food properties like particle size, hardness, concentration are main factors in determining the food texture we perceive. Moreover, individual physiological differences can also contribute to the variations in texture perception including salivary flow, dental status, age, etc. Here we seek to better understand the differences in texture term usage among age groups and identify major intrinsic food and individual physiological factors influencing texture perception. Furthermore, we would like to utlize these factors to minimize differences in texture perception and food liking resulting from changes in product formulation.