How improving texture in food can impact depression, poor nutrition and eating after cancer and COVID-19

In previous articles focused on texture we have discovered that texture has an influence on satiety and hence obesity by enhancing the feeling of being full. Findings revealed that both solid and higher viscous food significantly reduce hunger and promote satiety when compared to liquid and low viscous food. This study highlights that a focus on food texture and the development of satiety-enhancing food can be a promising strategy to reduce food intake and encourage weight management.

The latest article we’ve found looks at how improving texture in food can impact depression, poor nutrition, and eating after cancer and Covid-19. Texture becomes more important than ever when people lose their sense of smell. Researchers at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have been studying how a loss of smell and loss of flavour can impact quality of life. "Consumers with loss of smell are drawn to the chemesthetic qualities of food – for example the texture, carbonation, temperature, mintiness or spiciness of foods – as they can still detect these sensations and … enjoy food."

You might also be interested in looking again at work researching how the brain responds to food texture done in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland.“ By researching which brain regions are involved in experiencing food texture, we can build a map of how pleasurable textures, especially fat texture, in combination with a delicious taste, triggers connections between brain regions and increases our reward responses.”

Also, a professor of gastrophysics at the University of Copenhagen worked on the connection between texture and taste in food. “What I noticed, and also learned, is that most complaints about food are about texture. People may grumble that a dish has too little or too much salt, he noted, but that’s generally where discussions of taste end. It’s more typical for diners to bemoan that a piece of meat isn’t as tender as they’d hoped, or that their fries are soggy instead of crisp.”

There is a Texture Analysis test for virtually any physical property. Contact Stable Micro Systems today to learn more about our full range of solutions.

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For more information on how to measure texture, please visit the Texture Analysis Properties section on our website.

The TA.XTplusC texture analyser is part of a family of texture analysis instruments and equipment from Stable Micro Systems. An extensive portfolio of specialist attachments is available to measure and analyse the textural properties of a huge range of food products. Our technical experts can also custom design instrument fixtures according to individual specifications.

No-one understands texture analysis like we do!

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