Modeling the Food During Mastication

Mastication breaks down food so that it can be swallowed safely and so that the particles are the right size for digestive processing.  To avoid some of the complexities of modelling the changes in food and bulk properties during mastication, this model identifies the important properties for ‘safe swallowing’ using a HAZOP on the passageway from the mouth to the stomach.  These are used to define physical property thresholds which must be met, whether for partial or final swallowing. Thresholds can be defined for temperature, volume, deformation, liquid expression, adhesion and particle size.  The model then interrogates the mechanical testing regime within the mouth to identify the relationships between measurement and the properties.  Using these, the model tracks the development of the identified threshold properties as a function of the rate processes that occur during mastication: absorption, size reduction, dissolution, melting and mixing.   A discretized approach is used.  In this way, the model is focussed on predicting the bolus properties necessary for a safe swallow.