Instrumental compression test using artificial tongue was carried out to compare the fracture profile of gels with the first oral strategy for size reduction by humans (termed as the first size reduction). Gellan gel samples, whose size and shape were the same as those of artificial tongue, were prepared in a wide mechanical range and were compressed uniaxially on artificial tongue at crosshead speed of 10 mm/s. When apparent Young's modulus of artificial tongue was approximately 55 kPa, fracture probability of gels corresponded to the ratio of subjects who decided to use tongue‐palate compression instead of mastication. This was applicable to the gels whose fracture strain was below 65% but not to the gels whose fracture strain was above 70% within the range of fracture stress tested; approximately 30–100 kPa. Fracture strain should be a critical initial mechanical parameter that relates to the decision of oral strategy. Practical Applications There is an increasing demand for texture‐controlled foods that can be consumed by tongue‐palate compression without the need of mastication as the number of people having oral deficiency is expanding. It is proved that instrumental texture evaluation method that the authors developed is applicable to a wide range of food texture, particularly for viscoelastic gels, with some changes of instrumental operation condition if necessary, providing a simple method for assessing textural acceptability of food products for consumption without using human subjects. From an industrial point of view, this method can contribute to the texture design of food products that are comfortable to eat and thus to the improvement of quality of life for those people. From a scientific point of view, this method can contribute to better understanding of the physiology of human tongue‐palate compression as an oral strategy for size reduction, particularly during consumption of solid or semi‐solid foods.

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Relationship between throat sensations of beverages and some parameters from two types of in vivo measurements of swallowing was investigated. It was indicated using carbonated water that sparkling sensation can be assessed by the acoustic analysis of the swallowing sound, where both the intensity and the occurrence of the sound detected at a particular frequency of 4.0 kHz during the bolus flow through the pharynx were increased by sparkling sensation. It was also indicated using beer that bodying sensation can be assessed by the kinetic analysis of the laryngeal movement, where both the duration and the activity of the larynx required for one swallowing cycle and detected on a bend sensor were increased by bodying sensation. Furthermore, it was demonstrated by these in vivo measurements that human swallowing behavior can be modified by the addition of flavor compounds, which was sometimes accompanied with enhanced perception in each sensation.

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