What is texture?

sensory?

mechanical?

solid?

liquid?

psychological?

physical?

The flow of matter is still not understood and since it is not mysterious like electricity, it does not attract the attention of the curious. The properties are ill defined and they are imperfectly measured if at all, and they are in no way organized into a systematic body of knowledge which can be called a science (Bingham, 1930).

“Much food processing is directed to changing the textural properties of the food, generally in the direction of weakening the structure in order to make it easier to masticate. From the nutritional standpoint wheat could be eaten as whole grains but most people find them too hard to be appealing. Instead, the structure of the wheat kernel is destroyed by grinding it into flour, which is then baked into bread with a completely different texture and structure than the grain of wheat. The texture of leavened bread is much softer and less dense than that of grains of wheat and is a more highly acceptable product, judging by the quantity of bread that is consumed” (Bourne, 2014)

Soft bread

Hard times

Great Britain deprives all countries of the conditions of their fertility. It has raked up the battle-fields of Leipsic (sic), Waterloo and the Crimea; it has consumed the bones of many generations accumulated in the catacombs of Sicily; and now annually destroys the food for a future generation of three million and a half people. Like a vampire it hangs on the breast of Europe, and even the world, sucking its lifeblood without any real necessity or permanent gain for itself.

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Justus von Liebig (1863)

Farmer and Gardener Magazine

Molecule^-1

Food^2

Field^3

Planet^5

Mouth-Bolus^1

Supply Chain^4

Digestion / Filtration