Review of Mouthfeel Classification. A New Perspective of Food Perception

Abstract

Characteristics of a food product are the backbone of sensory research and it is essential to describe the food flavor with well-defined and agreed-upon concepts. This paper reviews the current bibliography related to taste/flavor perception, with a particular focus on mouthfeel. A summary of the current mouthfeel vocabularies is given and research approaches are evaluated. A general mouthfeel model is presented that overarches product categories and has shown its use in practice. The intention is to contribute to an increased understanding of taste and flavor and mouthfeel sensations. This paper reveals the ambiguity of terms that are regularly used in literature. This is influenced by different focus in research. Three classes of research related to mouthfeel are identified: (1) product oriented (molecular attributes), (2) product/human oriented (human interface: receptors, saliva, chewing, etc.) and (3) human oriented (after swallowing). For the future of research in flavor of foods and beverages, it is essential to have consensus on the definitions of relevant concepts and to have a model (classification) based on an approach that is generally accepted. A mouthfeel model is potentially a powerful tool for food producers and researchers alike since it can be used to classify food based on the differences in food composition. Generalist descriptors that can be used to describe mouthfeel in foods and beverages can improve the communication between diverse audiences and contribute to the understanding of taste, flavor and particularly mouthfeel.