Mimicking the Mouth in a Tribometer: Immobilizing a Lubricious Salivary Mucin for Frictional Measurements of Astringency Effects in Beverages and Foodstuffs

Key Points

• Frictional measurements reveal significant astringency effects on beverages and foodstuffs with applied salivary mucin.
• Astringency assessments reported changes in friction coefficients by up to 40% during testing of various samples.
• Assessment using a tribometer involved immobilizing salivary mucin to simulate oral conditions for analysis.
• These findings suggest potential improvements in flavor perception and formulation for the food and beverage industry.