This is why you always crave for crispy foods

The research published in ‘Scientific Report’ included 111 volunteer tasters who had their tongues checked for physical sensitivity and were asked their perceptions about various textures in chocolate.

During the research, it was found that perception of food texture arises from the interaction of a food with mechanoreceptors in the mouth. It depends on neural impulses carried by multiple nerves.

One argument that was raised during the research was, that texture typically is not noticed when it is within an acceptable range, but that it is a major factor in rejection if an adverse texture is present. For chocolate specifically, the oral texture is a critical quality attribute, with the grittiness often being used to differentiate bulk chocolate from premium chocolates.

Researchers tested whether there was a relationship between oral touch sensitivity and the perception of particle size. They used a device called Von Frey Hairs to gauge whether participants could discriminate between different amounts of force applied to their tongues. When participants were split into groups based on pressure-point sensitivity — high and low acuity — there was a relationship between chocolate-texture discrimination and pressure-point sensitivity for the high-acuity group on the centre tongue. However, a similar relationship was not seen for data from the lateral edge of the tongue.

Researchers say these findings suggest that texture-detection mechanisms, which underpin point-pressure sensitivity, likely contribute to the detection of particle size in food like chocolate.

With inputs from ANI