The Relationship between Crushable Food Hardness and Tongue Pressure

• TANAKA Masanari

  Department of Food Science, Faculty of Human Life Sciences, Mimasaka University Graduate School of Comprehensive Scientific Research, Prefectural University of Hiroshima

• TSUBOUCHI Mihoko

  Department of Food Science, Faculty of Human Life Sciences, Mimasaka University

• YAMAGATA Yoshie

  Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Human Culture and Science, Prefectural University of Hiroshima

• KAYASHITA Jun

  Graduate School of Comprehensive Scientific Research, Prefectural University of Hiroshima Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Human Culture and Science, Prefectural University of Hiroshima

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

• 舌でつぶせる硬さと舌圧の関連
• シタ デ ツブセル カタサ ト ゼツアツ ノ カンレン

Abstract

　Background/Purpose:　In recent years, the term “crushable with the tongue” has been commonly used to describe the hardness of food in Japan. However, this phrase has never been examined in relation to relevant tongue ability and food rheology. Thus, we assessed tongue pressure, which indicates the processing ability of the tongue. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between crushable food hardness and tongue pressure. 　Methods/Participants:　We categorized the study into two surveys. In study I, a probe for measuring tongue pressure was fixed to the table of equipment for measuring physical properties and loaded at a speed of 1 mm/s with 10%–85% measurement strain. Then, we calculated the relational expression between the values obtained by each measuring equipment. In study II, 48 healthy university students were enrolled as subjects, and their age, sex, body condition, and level of teeth correction were recorded. We tested their swallowing function with the Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test, followed by their hand strength, tongue pressure, and jelly crushing ability. We prepared jellies with a hardness of 60,000 N/m², 80,000 N/m², 100,000 N/m², and 120,000 N/m², and jelly shape was determined using the same probe for tongue pressure measurement, using two types of gelling agent. 　Results:　In study I, there was a strong positive correlation between the numerical values obtained by the physical property-measuring equipment and by the tongue pressure-measuring equipment (r ＝ 0.999, p＜0.01), and the regression equation was y ＝ 1,799.3x＋2,388.6 (x: value of tongue pressure-measuring equipment, y: value of physical property-measuring equipment [N/m²]). In study II, the tongue pressure required for crushing increased with hardness, although the degree of change varied depending on the gelling agent used. The regression line obtained in study II did not match that in study I, but the actual hardness at which foods could be crushed with the tongue exceeded the estimated hardness at the pressure levels tested. 　Conclusions:　Our study determined that by using the equation y ＝ 1,799.3x＋2,388.6, the upper limit of hardness of foods that can be crushed with the tongue can be estimated simply by measuring the tongue pressure.

Journal

• The Japanese Journal of Dysphagia Rehabilitation

  The Japanese Journal of Dysphagia Rehabilitation 25 (3), 169-181, 2021-12-31

  The Japanese Society of Dysphagia Rehabilitation

Keywords

• swallowing function
• meal form
• tongue pressure
• texture
• gelling agent

Details

• CRID: 1390854968907069184
• NII Article ID: 120007183556
• NII Book ID: AA11193069
• DOI: 10.32136/jsdr.25.3_169
• ISSN: 24342254
• ISSN: 13438441
• NDL BIB ID: 031960936
• Web Site: https://mimasaka.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/870
• Web Site: https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R000000004-I031960936
• Web Site: https://search.jamas.or.jp/link/ui/2022186546
• Text Lang: ja
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • IRDB
  • NDL
  • CiNii Articles
  • KAKEN
  • Crossref
• Abstract License Flag: Disallowed