Texture and Mouthfeel

As we have seen, the physical texture of food first depends on whether it is based on raw ingredients that have retained some of the structure of their biological origins, whether assembled from different pure components—such as mixtures of oil, water, and extracts—or totally synthetic. Second, structure is a function of how it is processed in the kitchen or the factory. Finally, changes take place once the food is in our mouth, resulting either from chewing, a mechanical operation with the help of teeth, jaws, and tongue, or from chemical or chemical-physical changes due to saliva and temperature. Experiencing these changes often depends on how quickly we work on the food in our mouth.