The Importance of Food Microstructure in Fracture Physics and Texture Perception

The operational definition of any material called food is that, at a minimum, it must be swallowed, which means that any solid food must be broken down and reassembled to a swallowable structure. The unique capability of Homo sapiens is that we process and convert many inedible materials into food. The success of the food manufacturing industry depends on the efficiency with which we build new structures, and how they match the expectation and enjoyment of individuals when they break them down in the mouth. Starting with the oral processing of common foods, such as meat, baked goods and vegetables, we have built simple models of the sequence of events necessary to produce edible products from various raw materials. We have related performance in the mouth to the mechanics of the complex composite materials that biology produces, or the butcher, baker and confectioner can create. We have few quantitative rules as yet, but the qualitative principles are becoming obvious. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This type of work is crucial in understanding food assembly processing and the resultant texture perception in the mouth. It will lead to design rules for reformulation, saving costs and improving nutritional quality while maintaining a pleasurable eating experience.