Food texture affects both what and how much you eat

Researchers at Nofima have found that food texture not only affects how much people eat, but also what they choose to eat.

In her doctoral research, Katerina Katsikari found that the texture of food influences both preferences and expectations of satiety.

She also found that people who prefer smoother textures report eating more ultra-processed food.

The researcher began with an online survey. 500 consumers answered questions about eating habits, food choices, and the type of texture they prefer. 

Wanted to investigate what people actually do

"To complement this and to better understand what people actually do, not only what they say, I carried out studies using real food samples," says Katsikari. 

Participants answered questions about texture and underwent tests to see how sensitive they are to how food feels in the mouth.

The researcher also examined their chewing behaviour. She evaluated bread and yoghurt samples that differed in texture and processing level. 

"This allowed us to compare what people say about texture with how they actually perceive it, process, and respond to texture,” she says.

People are split into two distinct groups

One group prefers food with a soft and smooth texture, and texture is an important factor when they choose what to eat. 

How much they eat is more strongly influenced by how good the food tastes and how much others around them eat than by how full they feel, explains researcher Paula Varela-Tomasco at Nofima.

She led the research and was Katsikari's main supervisor.

Some are picky, others explore

“We call this group ‘texture picky’, and we see that they tend to choose more ultra-processed foods and are more restricted in their choices," says Valera-Tomasco. "The other group, who prefer more varied and complex textures, we refer to as ‘texture explorers’." 

They consume less ultra-processed food, enjoy more diverse foods, and pay more attention to their own hunger and fullness signals, the researcher explains.

Developed four test breads

In a methodological study, specialists at Nofima’s bakery developed four breads with different textures. 

The breads were made using the same ingredients and a wholegrain content of 50 per cent. This corresponds to levels two to three on the bread scale. 

To create variation in texture, they adjusted processing parameters such as kneading and proofing.

Sensory assessors at Nofima tested and evaluated the breads. Afterwards, the researchers conducted a consumer study. 

Sensory assessors chewed their way through the samples

Cameras recorded how many chews each participant took and how long they chewed each bread.

The sensory assessors continuously described which taste and texture dominated as they chewed.

The FaceReader software analysed the videos and calculated how the number of chews and chewing duration.

"This gives us both the perceived experience and the actual behaviour of the assessors,” says Katsikari.

Chewier bread requires more chewing and is more filling

Consumers who tasted the breads with different textures perceived the bread with a chewy, dense texture as the most filling.

FaceReader analyses showed that this bread also required the most chewing and the longest chewing time.

“These findings show that specific textural properties of bread can reduce the risk of overeating. Food producers can use this insight to increase the satiety impact of their products by adding more variation in texture," says Varela-Tomasco. 

How food products can be adapted to different groups

For baked goods, for example, bakeries could add seeds, make the dough denser by using wholegrains, or retain a slightly chewier structure, she points out.

The research also opens up opportunities to tailor products for different consumer groups. People with obesity need food that provides greater satiety.

Older people who struggle with chewing and swallowing need softer foods with high nutritional value.

They would benefit from products where mouthfeel and satiety have been carefully designed, the researchers believe.

References:

Katsikari, A. & Varela, P. Individual differences in sensitivity to texture as drivers of food preferences and eating behaviour, Food Quality and Preference, 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105752

Katsikari et al. Use of face reading to measure oral processing behaviour and its relation to product perception, Food Quality and Preference, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2024.105209

Katsikari, K. A multimethod exploration of texture perception, and its implications on preferences, satiety, and processed food consumption in different consumer segments (PDF), Doctoral thesis at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 2025.

This content is paid for and presented by Nofima The Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research

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