An Improved Model for Food Thickness from non‐Newtonian Fluid Mechanics in the Mouth

An improved model for food thickness has been developed which accounts for the transient viscoelastic behavior of food materials. This model, previously tested for spreadability, satisfactorily predicts subjective thickness as well. Subjective scores obtained through the use of ratio scales correlated well with calculated shear stress on the surface of the tongue. The best slope of thickness vs shear stress on the tongue was 0.74 with a correlation coefficient of 0.93. The final result provides a design equation for the thickness of foods from a Theological standpoint.