Impact of Food Texture and Particle Size on Chewing Mechanics: A Kinematic Pilot Study Using Marked-based Motion-Capture in Healthy Adults

PurposeThe influence of food properties on oral processing is well established, yet the specific effects of particle size, hardness, and stickiness on chewing behavior remain poorly understood. This study examines how these food characteristics impact both behavioral and spatial aspects of chewing in healthy young adults, using marker-based motion capture technology to identify key movement patterns.MethodsNine healthy adults (OHAT≤1, positive 3oz Water Swallow Screening) were fitted with bipolar sEMG submental electrodes to measure floor of mouth muscle activity and reflective facial markers to capture 3D mandibular movements using synchronized cameras. Food samples (8g), varying by particle size (consistent with IDDSI levels 5-7) and texture (hard, soft, sticky), were self-administered, chewed and swallowed. After reliability training, two raters analyzed chewing activity from the video recordings. Principal component analysis was used to identify modes of correlated marker movements, “principal movements”. Main effects and interactions of sex, particle size (small/medium/large) and texture (hard, soft, sticky) were calculated using a three-way mixed-factor analysis of variance (α=.05).Results Participants were healthy young adults (5 female, 4 male, Mean±SD age; 27.2±4.5 years). Data for 81 trials were available. Fewer chewing cycles and shorter chewing durations were observed for soft and sticky textures (p