Flavor Release Evaluation

The perceived taste of food is related to both the flavor of the food and as well as the texture. The human mouth is able to ascertain and describe food texture in terms of hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, brittleness, elasticity, gumminess, and chewiness. These parameters can be defined using a mechanical testing machine as shown in Fig. 1. At the same time, the flavors of food released during the chewing process are detected subjectively by the nose. Each discrete “chew” may release different types of aromatic flavors as well as different concentrations, depending on the type of food.