COLLECTION AND CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS FOR DESCRIPTION OF FOOD TEXTURE: I: Collection of Words

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Linguistics
• Sensory Analysis

Background:

• Understanding food texture perception is crucial for food product development and consumer satisfaction.
• Cross-cultural differences in food texture vocabulary can impact sensory evaluation and product marketing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To collect and analyze Japanese expressions describing food texture.
• To compare the Japanese texture lexicon with findings from a similar study conducted in the United States.
• To identify the most frequently used texture descriptors in Japanese.

Main Methods:

• A controlled association test was employed to gather texture descriptors.
• Participants responded with texture words to 97 food stimulus words.
• Frequency analysis was conducted on the collected Japanese texture expressions.

Main Results:

• A median of 3.5 texture words per subject per food were mentioned, increasing to 7 when single mentions were excluded.
• The most frequent texture descriptors included: hard, soft, juicy, chewy, greasy, viscous, slippery, creamy, crisp (kori-kori), crunchy (kari-kari), and brittle.
• Response frequencies for some word pairs with opposite meanings were balanced, while others were not.
• A significant number of onomatopoeic words were used to describe texture.

Conclusions:

• The study provides insights into the Japanese food texture lexicon and its characteristics.
• Comparison with US data suggests both commonalities and differences in texture descriptor usage across cultures.
• The findings can inform sensory science research and the food industry for better cross-cultural communication regarding food texture.