Abstract
To investigate the relationship between the degree of masticatory efficiency and the physical properties of a swallowing food bolus, we measured the texture of a food bolus immediately prior to swallowing during mastication of test food. Eighteen adult volunteers participated. Masticatory efficiency of each participant was obtained using the sieving test reported by Manly and Braley (1950), and they were divided into two groups (high efficiency group, H group; low efficiency group, L group). Each participant masticated three types of test food (rice cake, RC; peanuts, P; soft biscuit, SB) prepared in 5g units. The texture of a food bolus collected from the oral cavity immediately prior to swallowing was measured by texture profile analysis. Three texture parameters (hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness) were obtained from the stress strain curve. Hardness of all three types of food bolus in the L group was significantly higher than that in the H group. Adhesiveness of the P bolus in the L group was significantly (p<0.05) lower than that in the H group. In contrast, adhesiveness of the RC bolus in the L group was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that in the H group. On the other hand, adhesiveness and cohesiveness of the SB bolus did not differ significantly between the two groups. These results suggest that the degree of masticatory efficiency may clearly influence the physical properties of a food bolus at the initiation of swallowing during mastication of solid food. [Jpn J Physiol 55 Suppl:S171 (2005)]
