Electromyographic measurement of eating behaviors for buckwheat noodles.

The objective of this study was to analyze human eating behaviors in chewing and slurping buckwheat noodles. We used electromyography to measure the activity of the jaw-closing, jaw-opening, and lip-closing muscles while healthy adults ate one mouthful of buckwheat noodles. Slurping the noodles required a longer mastication period but smaller muscle activity per movement than chewing the same samples. Total muscle activity was greater in slurping. Slurping also showed a longer average cycle time but greater variances in the cycle time than rhythmical chewing. The mechanical properties of buckwheat noodles significantly differed between the noodle types (half-raw and dry), but the human mastication variables for the two types of noodles were not significantly changed within a subject. Both types of noodles kept for 10 min at 23 degrees C after being cooked could be consumed with less mastication effort than those immediately served, and this observation corresponded to softening of the noodles during the standing time.