Scientists from INRAE have developed an artificial mouth to reproduce and better understand the transformation of soft foods.
The device is based on anatomical data measured at Fujita Health University and includes a silicone tongue that can contract using compressed air, thereby mimicking the movements of the human organ. The results were published on October 15 in the journal *Scientific Reports*.
With a growing global population and an aging demographic, one of the challenges for the food industry is to offer innovative products tailored to the needs of people suffering from age-related conditions such as sarcopenia, as well as salivation or swallowing disorders.
To understand the mechanisms involved in food transformation in the mouth and thus formulate products that meet the specific needs of different populations, in vitro models are available. However, they do not always accurately replicate the anatomy of the mouth and the movements of the tongue.
It is in this context that scientists from INRAE and their Japanese counterparts at Fujita Health University collaborated to design the first artificial mouth, which includes a programmable tongue to simulate the contractions and movements observed in vivo.
The tongue is made of a silicone material designed to reproduce the elasticity, wettability, and roughness of the human tongue. It includes three cavities that can be inflated and deflated by compressed air to precisely replicate movements measured through ultrasound in human subjects.
3D model of the in vitro device: the tongue moves due to 3 inflatable and deflatable cavities / INRAE - Alejandro Avila-Sierra
This cutting-edge technology was tested with three commercially available soft foods: a dessert cream, chocolate mousse, and a molten chocolate cake. The results obtained in terms of firmness, adhesive and cohesive properties, and viscosities during the shearing processes between the tongue and the palate are similar to in vivo data collected.
This device is a new tool for studying the dynamics of oral food transformation, and scientists are already working on incorporating chewing into the device.
Reference:
Avila-Sierra A., Bugarin-Castillo Y., Glumac M. et al. (2024). A first-of-its-kind 3D biomimetic artificial mouth capable of reproducing the oral processing of soft foods.
Scientific Reports, DOI:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-73629-9