PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method that can estimate a texture and a transition of the texture during eating food objectively and quantitatively.SOLUTION: A texture estimation method is provided for quantitatively estimating a texture of a sample. The texture estimation method includes the steps of: acquiring first myoelectric potential information that is the information about the myoelectric potential of a masticatory muscle in a processing time of the sample by a subject； acquiring second myoelectric potential information that is the information about the myoelectric potential of the maximum bite by the subject； and calculating the maximum muscle activity of the subject by using an equation (1) on the basis of the first myoelectric potential information and the second myoelectric potential information. The equation (1) is that the maximum muscle activity(%) equals to the muscle active mass of the masticatory muscle in the processing time divided by (muscle active mass of the masticatory muscle per one second in the maximum bite multiplied by the processing time) multiplied by 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1【課題】食品の喫食中における食感や食感の推移を、客観的かつ定量的な推定方法を提供する。【解決手段】試料の食感を定量的に推定する食感推定方法であって、被験者による試料の処理時間における咀嚼筋の筋電位に関する情報である第１の筋電位情報を取得し、被験者による最大咬合時の筋電位に関する情報である第２の筋電位情報を取得し、第１の筋電位情報および第２の筋電位情報に基づき、式（１）を用いて、被験者の最大筋活動比を算出する、食感推定方法。最大筋活動比（％）＝処理時間における咀嚼筋の筋活動量÷（最大咬合時の１秒間当たりの咀嚼筋の筋活動量×処理時間）×１００・・・（１）【選択図】図１
