Solid cheese consumption: quantification of oral coating

Area of Science:

• Food science
• Sensory science
• Instrumental analysis

Background:

• Mouth coating, or residual food, impacts food component delivery and sensory perceptions like mouthfeel.
• Accurate measurement of mouth coating is essential for food texture and sensory studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a rapid, simple instrumental method for quantifying in vivo mouth coating of solid foods.
• To assess the method's reproducibility, reliability, and discriminating power across different cheese textures.

Main Methods:

• Adaptation of a fluorescence-based method using curcumin, an oil-soluble dye.
• In vivo study involving 12 subjects consuming four melted cheeses with varying fat and water content.
• Quantification of residual food on oral surfaces via fluorescence measurements.

Main Results:

• The developed fluorescence method proved to be reproducible and reliable for measuring mouth coating.
• The method effectively discriminated between different cheese formulations based on residual food.
• The technique is suitable for solid cheeses with a wide range of textures.

Conclusions:

• A rapid and simple instrumental method using curcumin fluorescence is effective for quantifying mouth coating in solid cheeses.
• This method provides valuable data for understanding food texture and sensory perception related to residual food.
• The technique demonstrates potential for broader application in food science research.