An acoustic vibration method for food texture has been devel-
oped (Sakurai et al., 2005). Food texture is quantitatively evaluated
in terms of the texture index (TI) which is defined as an energy
density (Taniwaki and Sakurai, 2008). This method uses a probe
mimicking a human incisor or canine tooth. The probe is inserted
into the food sample, and the vibration of the probe that occurs
while breaking the sample is detected by a piezoelectric sensor
that is directly attached to the probe. Sound from the panelist’s
mouth is essentially derived from information including the vibra-
tions of food and teeth during mastication. Therefore, an acoustic
vibration method that directly detects the vibrations of the probe
while the probe breaks the food has the advantage that it detects
more information about food texture than the microphone method
described above.