{"title":"Texture Discrimination of Agar Gels in Rats","authors":"Takutoshi Wakao, Chihiro Nakatomi, Hiroshi Ikeda, Chia-Chien Hsu, Masahiro Mizuhara, Kaori Kometani-Gunjigake, Tatsuo Kawamoto, Kentaro Ono","doi":"10.1111/jtxs.70039","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n <p>Food texture is a pivotal factor influencing consumer preference, acceptance, and eating experience. Although human sensory studies have underscored the importance of the sensations of springiness and hardness in mastication and swallowing, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown due to the lack of an animal model. We therefore hypothesized that rats can discriminate textures based on mechanical properties-springiness and hardness-independent of taste, odor, and visual cues. To investigate texture perception, we evaluated rats' discrimination of agar gels using a conditioned texture aversion paradigm with a two-bottle preference test. Agar gels at 1%–3% concentrations were cut into 5 mm cubes or strained through a 100-mesh sieve to form paste. In the two-bottle preference test comparing 1% and 3% agar cubes, the conditioned stimulus (CS) applied to the cubes induced selective aversion to the CS cubes, but the CS applied to the paste form eliminated this aversion. Moreover, to exclude taste or odor cues, gelatin cubes with physical properties similar to those of the 3% agar cubes were prepared, and conditioning with these gelatin cubes induced aversion to the 3% agar cubes. To eliminate visual cues, resin cubes resembling agar cubes were prepared; however, conditioning with the resin cubes did not produce aversion to agar cubes. These results indicated that aversion learning to the agar cubes was acquired based on textures rather than taste, odor, or visual properties. The newly developed experimental system offers a valuable framework for exploring mechanisms of food texture perception and guiding the development of texturally optimized food products.</p>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":17175,"journal":{"name":"Journal of texture studies","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of texture studies","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jtxs.70039","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Food texture is a pivotal factor influencing consumer preference, acceptance, and eating experience. Although human sensory studies have underscored the importance of the sensations of springiness and hardness in mastication and swallowing, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown due to the lack of an animal model. We therefore hypothesized that rats can discriminate textures based on mechanical properties-springiness and hardness-independent of taste, odor, and visual cues. To investigate texture perception, we evaluated rats' discrimination of agar gels using a conditioned texture aversion paradigm with a two-bottle preference test. Agar gels at 1%–3% concentrations were cut into 5 mm cubes or strained through a 100-mesh sieve to form paste. In the two-bottle preference test comparing 1% and 3% agar cubes, the conditioned stimulus (CS) applied to the cubes induced selective aversion to the CS cubes, but the CS applied to the paste form eliminated this aversion. Moreover, to exclude taste or odor cues, gelatin cubes with physical properties similar to those of the 3% agar cubes were prepared, and conditioning with these gelatin cubes induced aversion to the 3% agar cubes. To eliminate visual cues, resin cubes resembling agar cubes were prepared; however, conditioning with the resin cubes did not produce aversion to agar cubes. These results indicated that aversion learning to the agar cubes was acquired based on textures rather than taste, odor, or visual properties. The newly developed experimental system offers a valuable framework for exploring mechanisms of food texture perception and guiding the development of texturally optimized food products.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Texture Studies is a fully peer-reviewed international journal specialized in the physics, physiology, and psychology of food oral processing, with an emphasis on the food texture and structure, sensory perception and mouth-feel, food oral behaviour, food liking and preference. The journal was first published in 1969 and has been the primary source for disseminating advances in knowledge on all of the sciences that relate to food texture. In recent years, Journal of Texture Studies has expanded its coverage to a much broader range of texture research and continues to publish high quality original and innovative experimental-based (including numerical analysis and simulation) research concerned with all aspects of eating and food preference.
Journal of Texture Studies welcomes research articles, research notes, reviews, discussion papers, and communications from contributors of all relevant disciplines. Some key coverage areas/topics include (but not limited to):
• Physical, mechanical, and micro-structural principles of food texture
• Oral physiology
• Psychology and brain responses of eating and food sensory
• Food texture design and modification for specific consumers
• In vitro and in vivo studies of eating and swallowing
• Novel technologies and methodologies for the assessment of sensory properties
• Simulation and numerical analysis of eating and swallowing