Tribology – Novel oral processing tool for sensory evaluation of food

Food oral processing is a study of mastication that involves food-saliva interaction. Instrumental approaches have improved sensorial attributes like texture by stimulating the oral environment for the past years. However, a thorough estimation of oral food processing is still an open research topic with persisting challenges. This review summarizes the role of tribology as a novel oral processing tool for the sensory evaluation of foods. The paper further covered state of the art on instrumentation, working principles, the efficiency of the tribometer, and its application in dairy and non-dairy foods. Moreover, sincere attempts have been made to classify the research gap and challenges in oral food processing using tribometer.