Chewing and Swallowing Properties of Different-sized Agar Gels

The effects of sample size on chewing and swallowing properties of agar gel were investigated by measuring the fragment size of bolus, the value of texture property, the velocity of bolus in the pharynx and the strength of the perception. Crushed agar gel and cubic agar gels of both 3.5 mm (3.5 mm agar gel) and 15 mm (15 mm agar gel) were used as samples. The destruction process of 15 mm gel was strongly influenced by the history of the breakdown caused by mastication. The destruction process of both crushed agar gel and 3.5 mm agar gel was random destruction unaffected by history. Based on apparatus measurement, the adhesiveness and cohesiveness of the crushed gel were high at any chewing frequency, whereas they measured high with 3.5 mm agar gel and 15 mm agar gel only as the chewing frequency increased. The velocity of the crushed agar gel in the pharynx was low at any chewing frequency, while the velocity in the pharynx of 3.5 mm agar gel decreased slowly and that of 15 mm agar gel decreased remarkably as the chewing frequency increased. (Received Feb. 27.2012; Accepted Apr. 30, 2012)