Oral Processing of Bread

Bread is one of the most studied food products in terms of oral processing and there has been a particular focus on understanding the link between the characteristics of bread and the sensory experience. The structure of bread determines its mechanical strength and deformation behaviour, which, in turn, control the perception of texture and swallowing thresholds. Structural–mechanical behaviour–oral processing is a systematic and effective approach to optimizing the design of bread products for specific sensory qualities. By tuning at the structural level, the mechanical properties of bread can be mapped with the comfortable chewing effort and preferred texture experience of different groups of consumers. Bread is heterogenous in nature. Its crumb and crust portions are distinctly different in their physicochemical and textural characteristics. It is therefore important to take both the crumb and crust portions into consideration in oral processing studies of bread. This chapter provides a summary of how the characteristics of bread affect oral processing, including chewing behaviour, bolus formation and texture, saltiness and aroma perception.