=+11.82 Here’s one to sink your teeth into: The authors of the article “Analysis of Food Crushing Sounds During Mastication: Total Sound Level Studies” (Journal of Texture Studies [1990]: 165–178) studied the nature of sounds generated during eating. Peak loudness (in decibels at 20 cm away) was measured for both open-mouth and closed-mouth chewing of potato chips and of tortilla chips.