USE OF COMBINED ELECTROMYOGRAPHY AND KINESTHESIOLOGY DURING MASTICATION TO CHART THE ORAL BREAKDOWN OF FOODSTUFFS - RELEVANCE TO MEASUREMENT OF FOOD TEXTURE

This paper describes a method for obtaining detailed information about the velocities, directions and relative forces involved in masticatio n, and how these change throughout the chewing sequence, from combined electromyograph and kinematic records in human subjects. Differences in the temporal breakdown patterns of apple, carrot and biscuit are hi ghlighted. Mastication of apple and carrot relied on vertical compress ion for each chew, with decreasing effort applied over the course of t he chewing sequence. Differences between these products were related p rincipally To the chewing effort exerted. For biscuit, compression was the predominant mechanism of breakdown in early chews but this was tr ansferred to a shear action over the course of the sequence.