Have you ever had the experience where a friend takes you to their favorite restaurant, raving about a certain dish? But when you try it, it’s only okay. You can’t figure out what all the fuss is about, and your friend is dumbfounded that you aren’t equally excited about it. Many times, one person’s favorite food just doesn’t taste all that good to someone else.
What is mouth behavior?
Why do we, as people, have so many differences when it comes to what foods we like? There are many reasons for these differences. Some are biological like how sensitive our taste buds are to certain flavors, how good our noses are at distinguishing odors and how much spiciness we enjoy. Others are cultural. Prior exposure to certain flavors, textures and forms of food shapes our preferences for the future. But there is one area of preference that has not received as much attention, especially when it comes to how people enjoy meat: mouth behavior. In other words, how do your teeth and tongue interact with the food in your mouth while you eat it.
Researchers categorize people into four types of eaters based on mouth behavior. These are called: chewers, crunchers, smooshers and suckers. Chewers and crunchers can both be seen flexing their jaws as they eat, but crunchers are after that satisfying sound of crunchiness while chewers are after that long-lasting chewy sensation. Consider whether you prefer a crunchy granola bar that crumbles as you eat it or a chewy one?
It’s Time to Crack the Code
About 43% of the U.S. population are chewers while 33% are crunchers. Smooshers make up about 16% of the population and will push food around and against the roof of their mouth to break it down. They might prefer soft foods like puddings. Suckers tend to prefer juicy and flavorful foods because they will suck on their foods before chewing. Only about 8% of people exhibit this eating type.
So, what does this have to do with meat preferences? Rhonda Miller, professor at Texas A&M University, and her student Kylie Burris, categorized people in terms of mouth behavior and then explored their preferences for different types of hamburgers. Smooshers and suckers were more likely to prefer a burger that was easy to bite through, but chewers and crunchers desired a more robust texture. Suckers also tended to rate burgers with higher fat content as more seasoned, even though there were no seasonings on the patties. Overall, hamburger thickness was important to crunchers and tenderness was important to chewers, but smooshers and suckers prioritized seasoning and flavor.
This research revealed mouth behavior shaped preferences for hamburgers and would be expected to do the same for other meat products. It’s not hard to imagine that people who enjoy crispy bacon might be more likely to be crunchers. As the pork industry and meat scientists try to crack the code on producing highly desirable pork for consumers to increase the demand for pork products, how mouth behavior shapes consumer perception will be an important consideration.
Read More:
What Kind of Meat-Eater Are You?
Getting Back to Basics: The Role of pH in Pork Quality
