The Human Oral Cavity and Oral Processing of Foods

Abstract

The oral processing of foods is a complex process that involves sensory perception, mechanical destruction, biochemical changes, and colloidal destabilization of food. The oral cavity plays a crucial role in coordinating sensory perception and food breakdown. The nervous system and brain regulate the entire process, which can be categorized into oral physiology, oral physics, and oral psychology. Oral physiology examines the responses and alterations in the oral cavity during chewing and swallowing, while oral physics investigates how physical and mechanical forces cause food to deform, fracture, and undergo microstructural changes. Sensory psychology focuses on the perception and measurement of sensory aspects, including mouthfeel properties. Recent research in sensory psychology has aimed to understand how sensory stimuli and brain signals interact, with some studies focusing on the brain’s reward pathways during mastication and texture perception. This chapter provides an overview of the anatomy and physiology of the oral cavity, the oral processing of different food matrices, and the significance of oral processing studies and oro-sensory perception in detail.