Abstract
Rheological study on the eating process is becoming more and more important with increasing population of handicapped persons having the difficulty in mastication and deglutition. Rheology can also contribute to the development of nutrition science, e.g., understanding the enzymatic digesting process of nutrients, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. Texture can be modified by using hydrocolloids and this is useful for the food production and cooking because the texture is one of the most important attributes of foods. The importance of texture is also discussed from the viewpoint of eating process. Small deformation oscillatory measurements have been used to under-stand the sol-gel transition which plays a key role in the rheological control of food texture. Temperature dependence of elastic modulus of food gels is also discussed. Rheological properties control not only the texture but also affect the flavour, which is known as a flavour release, and some recent results are discussed. It is necessary to develop the collaborative research among different disciplines, oral physiology, dentistry, food rheology, nutrition science to resolve the problems in the difficulty in mastication and deglutition.
