EMG assessment of chewing behaviour for food evaluation: Influence of personality characteristics
Abstract The aim of the present study was to evaluate the chewing behaviour stability over time and the influence of personality characteristics on chewing behaviour in order to assess the use of EMG for food assessment. From a set of eighty three subjects, thirty-two subjects were classified as personality type A or B (Jenkins Activity Survey questionnaire) and then recruited for the experimentation. Two types of assays were performed: Assay I: chewing gum for 10 chews and Assay II: chewing gum for 50 s. Only in two cases (6.3%) did the subject change his/her chewing behaviour; in the other cases, subjects’ chewing behaviour was stable over time (two months test). In both assays significan…
Application of low intensity ultrasonics to cheese manufacturing processes.
Ultrasound has been used to non-destructively assess the quality of many foods such as meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products. This paper addresses the applications of low intensity ultrasonics in the cheese manufacturing processes and highlights the areas where ultrasonics could be successfully implemented in the future. The decrease of ultrasonic attenuation during the renneting process can be used to determine the optimum cut time for cheese making. The ultrasonic velocity increases during maturation for those types of cheese that become harder during this manufacturing stage, thus being an indicator of the maturity degree. Moreover, ultrasonic measurements could be linked to sensory …
Comparison of electromyographic pattern of sensory experts and untrained subjects during chewing of Mahon cheese
Use of electromyography (EMG) to monitor mastication is a relatively new concept in assessing food physical and sensory properties. Although expert assessment of cheese characteristics is widely used, the effect of training in sensory analysis on mastication patterns, as assessed using EMG is not well known. Nine samples of the same Mahon cheese (60 days ripening) were given to 24 subjects (8 experts, 16 untrained) and EMG recorded for each chewing sequence. Three samples were tested in a single session by each subject, and three sessions carried out on different days. EMG was recorded from four masticatory muscles for each subject. From EMG records the following was extracted: number of ch…
PREDICTION OF INSTRUMENTAL AND SENSORY TEXTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MAHON CHEESE FROM ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENTS
Ultrasonic velocity was related to sensory and instrumental texture measurements. A semi-logarithmic model (Weber-Fechner) was used to relate the sensory and instrumental texture measurements. The ultrasonic velocity ranged from 1650 to 1723 m/s for the softest and hardest cheese, respectively. As expected from theoretical equations, the ultrasonic velocity was related to the square root of the instrumental measurements. The deformability modulus (r 2 =0.93) and the slope in puncture (r 2 =0.85) were the most closely related parameters. A model developed from the relationship between sensory and instrumental texture and the relationship between ultrasonic velocity and instrumental texture, …
Variables Influencing Chewing Electromyography Response in Food Texture Evaluation
Abstract Food choice is linked to many characteristics, among which texture is one of the most important. As a consequence, texture is a quality parameter that needs to be understood on a global perspective, including physical and psychological aspects. Texture perception is gained from a complex process of chewing, and not from a single action. Thus, there is a need for techniques that consider the whole process of chewing. Among those techniques, electromyography (EMG) seems promising. Different variables influence the chewing response as registered through EMG. Some of those variables are linked to the experimental set-up, where there is a need for standardization as well as data process…
CHEESE HARDNESS ASSESSMENT BY EXPERTS AND UNTRAINED JUDGES
Although expert assessment of food characteristics is recognized as a key step in product development, the use of consumer based measurements is sometimes recommended as an equivalent to the experts. From cognitive psychology, support of the role of perceptual learning is found in some instances, although this could not be relevant in others. To address this point performance analysis of experts and untrained panelists in cheese texture evaluation was carried out. Neither the untrained panelists nor the experts were familiar with either the scales or the kind of cheese. The same Cheddar cheese was given to 44 untrained subjects in three trials to assess hardness. The results showed that the…
Exploring the use of low-intensity ultrasonics as a tool for assessing the salt content in pork meat products
Meat industry demands non-destructive techniques for the control of the salting process to achieve a homogeneous final salt content in salted meat products. The feasibility of using low-intensity ultrasound for characterizing the salting process of pork meat products was evaluated. The ultrasonic velocity (V) and time of flight (TF) were measured by through-transmission and pulse-echo methods, respectively, in salted meat products. Salting involved an increase of the V in meat muscles and a decrease of the time of flight in whole hams. Measuring the V before and after salting, the salt content could be estimated. Moreover, online monitoring of the salting process by computing the TF could b…