The articulograph is a device which measures how people chew and swallow. 
Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research uses it to establish
the effects of chewing.
In the Restaurant of the Future, three types of research work are being carried out.
The first has to do with real life behavioural research in the restaurant and
the experience room. The second is sensory research. The third is more
fundamental in nature and involves products, the surroundings and the t
ypes of consumers. It is in the third research category that
Wageningen UR uses the articulograph.
Digestive process
Chewing is a major activity which takes place at the start of the digestive process. During the process of chewing, food is ground and mixed with saliva and enzymes which aid in digestion. In addition, chewing exposes our senses of taste and smell in the mouth and nose to the tastes and smells of the food. Our body also receives – via our brain – all kinds of signals which relay to us what we are eating. Through this process also, indications are given when we have eaten enough.
Insight into chewing
The articulograph enables researchers to have insight into the effects of different ways of chewing on food appreciation. Researchers can also establish how new product textures can influence the way we chew.
More information: René de Wijk, senior researcher
Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research