Low-Fat Foods Can Have Full-Fat Mouthfeel

EDE, The NetherlandsLow-fat foods often lack the flavor and satisfying mouthfeel of full-fat foods. But a scientist from NIZO found that doesnt necessarily have to be the case. Harold Bult developed a methodology to identify the physical properties of fat-containing foods that determine mouthfeel.
Previously, the contribution of fats to mouthfeel could only be determined by in vitro measurements. This research takes into account the role of tongue movements on mouthfeel, and a methodology was developed to obtain a real-time spatial profile of oral behavior based on movements of the tongue and cheeks during consumption. The profile provides insight into the pressures and shear forces that food undergoes in the mouth, and can be used to find out which product properties determine mouthfeel during consumption. This methodology, combined with already-developed technologies that determine the difference in aroma release between high- and low-fat products during consumption, can be used to improve the taste of low-fat foods.
By combining this new methodology with existing in vivo measurements on aroma release, we now have an integral approach to determine the optimal aroma and texture properties based on conduct and perception of people during consumption, explains Bult. Our comprehensive approach is an important tool in the development of low-fat products that have the same taste experience and reward as the current full-fat products. Armed with the new knowledge provided by this methodology, we will also learn why promising fat replacers in the past didnt meet expectations.