Relationships were established for five sensory methods of oral and nonoral
viscosity evaluation between viscosity scores and instrumentally measured
dynamic viscosity for model and real Newtonian fluid foods. These relations
hips were then used to predict the effective shear rates under which the se
nsory tests were performed. The highest shear rates were predicted for visc
osity perception by compression of samples between tongue and palate, and t
he lowest for pouring the fluid foods from a teaspoon. Mixing with a teaspo
on, slurping and swallowing exhibited nearly the same dependencies of appar
ent shear rates on equivalent instrumental viscosity. All relations were of
the hyperbolic type. The resulting relationships between the apparent shea
r rates and equivalent instrumental viscosity are in good agreement with a
similar relationship predicted by Shama and Sherman (1973a) (see Cutler et
al. 1983) for oral perception.