Abstract
We investigated the relationship between methods of food cutting and mastication properties or ease of chewing. The Rangiri method, which cuts food into chunks, rendered food easier to chew than the Sengiri method, which cuts food into fine strips, in the case of burdock root, Japanese white radish and celery. However, in the case of carrot and cucumber, there was no obvious difference between the two cutting methods. Next, we measured the distribution of particle size for chewed foods resulting from each cutting method. This revealed that the Rangiri method produced a more homogeneous distribution of food particle size than the Sengiri method. This suggested that food prepared by the Rangiri method was easier to form into a mass within the oral cavity during chewing. The Rangiri method was also considered superior to the Sengiri method by sensory evaluation. These results show that the Sengiri method appears unsuitable for all foods, especially for people who have low chewing activity.
