17 - Relationship between fermented food, oral microbiota, and taste perception

Abstract

The oral cavity hosts an important amount of microorganisms characterized by an important diversity. This diversity is partly due to the presence of various ecological niches in the oral cavity with different physicochemical and biochemical properties. The totality of these microorganisms constitutes the oral microbiota. The oral microbiota has been studied for years, especially for its implication in various oral pathologies including dental caries and periodontal disease. However, its implication in other physiological functions has started to be studied recently. Among them, we can mention taste perception. The implication of the oral microbiota in this perception appears highly credible since the surface of the tongue, which is at the interface between the oral cavity and the taste receptors, is covered by a rich and diverse microbial biofilm. Similarly, saliva, which is the fluid where sapid compounds are diluted before reaching taste receptors, is also a medium where planktonic bacteria are strongly represented. Besides the potential role of this oral microbiota, the implication of food microbiota and particularly fermented foods microbiota to taste perception is poorly known although the consumption of these products leads to the introduction of billions of exogenous microorganisms in the oral cavity. The aim of this chapter is then, in the first part, to give an overview of the characteristics of the oral microbiota. A second part will focus on the fermented food microbiota and the products of their metabolism having a potential impact on taste perception. Finally, the last part will review the potential implications of the oral microbiota in taste perception.