Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 21, 2025

In Vivo Evaluation of the Mechanical and Viscoelastic Properties of the Rat Tongue
Published on: July 6, 2017
Muscle activity during oral processing of sticky-cohesive foods
Seyed Mostafa Kazemeini1, Daniel Prado Campos2, Andrew J Rosenthal3
1School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, LE12 5RD, UK.
Abstract:
We investigated muscle activity during oral processing of sticky model foods. Chewing Time extracted from the EMG data distinguished the most sticky and least sticky model foods from the others, but was not a good discriminator between the other models. Mean chew work declined by 25.4%, while the median frequency shift (which is related to muscle fatigue) increased by 54.9% during oral processing for all the model foods, with the effect being greatest for the stickiest foods. We conclude that the degree of stickiness is not a trigger for swallowing and changes in the other bolus properties, such as softness, may influence muscle activity to a level at which we can swallow.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Deglutition
Swallowing can be divided into three stages: the voluntary phase, the pharyngeal phase, and the esophageal phase. Although the...
Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
Physiology of the Gastrointestinal System I: Ingestion and Propulsion
Salivary Glands and Saliva
Tongue
Anatomical Position in the Oral Cavity
The tongue is located within the oral cavity, also known as the mouth. It is attached to the floor of the mouth by a fold of mucous membrane called the...
Mechanical and Chemical Digestion in the Small Intestine
Mechanical digestion in the small intestine involves movements such as segmentations and migrating motility complexes (MMCs), primarily controlled by the myenteric plexus. Segmentations are localized contractions occurring in areas of the intestine distended by chyme—a mixture of partially digested food. These contractions mix chyme with digestive juices, facilitating...

