1 - Retention and release of taste and aroma compounds from the food matrix during mastication and ingestion

Abstract

This chapter gives an overview of the physicochemical and sensory properties of aroma and taste compounds from food, their interactions with the food matrix, and their release during food breakdown in the mouth. In order to be perceived by the taste or olfactory receptors, aroma and taste compounds have first to be released in the saliva, which depends on the food matrix composition and structure, and on the masticatory behavior. Aroma compounds have then to be transported from the oral to the nasal cavity. Different mechanistic models have been developed to understand better aroma and taste compounds release in function of both food and individual, however, they are still not able to predict sensory perception, which also depends on other physiological mechanisms at the central and peripheral levels.