Model bolus samples were prepared from artificial saliva and masticated agar gel to study the textural properties and evaluate the swallowing properties with young and elderly subjects. The model bolus samples containing 13%, 20% and 26% of artificial saliva showed a textural hardness that decreased with increasing saliva content. The young subjects evaluated the model bolus samples containing 20% and 26% of saliva as being easier to swallow than the sample containing 13%. The elderly subjects evaluated the model bolus sample containing 26% of saliva as being easy to swallow with little remaining in the mouth. When the apparent viscosity of the artificial saliva was varied in the model bolus samples, the textural hardness decreased with increasing apparent viscosity of the saliva. No significant difference was recognized among the samples by both the young and elderly subjects in the sensory evaluation.