The application of temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) for oral processing studies: an initial investigation

Sensory trajectories of foods can be described using the temporal dominance of sensations method (TDS). This study aims to investigate the influence of TDS on oral processing variables and understand the optimum number of subjects required for oral processing studies. The work was carried out with a solid model food system (biscuits). Formulation differences in the model biscuits influenced texture perception but did not affect oral processing parameters apart from chewing frequency. Completing the TDS task influenced both mastication duration and the number of chews, although the different natural chewing behaviors observed between products were not affected. Training of subjects resulted in quicker attribute selection and greater dominance rates being observed even though the resulting TDS curves were similar. Analysis using a correlation technique suggests that 15-20 untrained subjects may be required to generate useful TDS curves for oral processing research assessing food properties.