Using dairy ingredients to alter texture of foods: Implications based on oral processing considerations

Food quality is directly linked to the food's appearance, texture and flavor. All three components must be in harmony for the food to be considered delicious. Understanding how various textures can be designed requires a comprehensive approach of evaluating food structure, oral processing and sensory evaluation. Oral processing considers the physiological processes in first bite, mastication and swallowing. Sensory stimuli during oral processing are used to determine the acceptance of texture. Recent research has focused on how milk proteins can be used to create desirable textures. Whey protein–polysaccharide mixtures were used to show how microstructure can be manipulated to produce a range of textures and control water release. The importance of microstructure in determining a variety of texture terms was demonstrated in whey protein emulsion gels. Finally, fat content in Cheddar cheese was shown to be critical to producing a desirable breakdown pattern. These and other applications will be discussed.