Changes in flavor perception and retronasal aroma release intensity in Gewürztraminer wine after pairing with chicken

Five whey protein gels, with different gel hardnesses and waterholding capacities, were flavored with ethylbutyrate or diacetyl and evaluated by a 10-person panel to study the relation between the gel structure and the sensory perception, as well as the nosespace flavor concentration during eating. The sensory perception of the flavor compounds was measured by the time-intensity method, while simultaneously the nosespace flavor concentration was monitored by the MS-Nose. The nosespace flavor concentration was found to be independent of the gel hardness or waterholding capacity. However, significant changes in flavor intensity between the gels were perceived by the majority of the panelists, despite the fact that the panelists were instructed to focus only on flavor perception and to not take texture into account. From these observations it is concluded that the texture of gels determines perception of flavor intensity rather than the in-nose flavor concentration.

Taste–aroma interactions in a citrus flavoured model beverage system: Similarities and differences between acid and sugar type

Increased aroma content of gummy jelly prolongs chewing strokes and chewing duration to the swallowing threshold

Olfactory habituation results from prolonged exposure to an odor, leading to perceptual changes defined by several characteristics. To date, human habituation research has focused on orthonasal olfaction which is perceived externally while ignoring internal routes of odor perception related to flavor. In our study, we conducted two experiments to characterize retronasal olfactory habituation and measured its impact on flavor perception. In Experiment 1, participants were presented a food odor and non-food odor retronasally, using an orally adhered strip. Each participant rated the odor intensity using a time-intensity procedure. After exposure, the participants ate a lime-flavored gummy and rated the lime flavor. In experiment 2, the same procedure was performed for a low-level lime odor, a simple (lime oil) and complex (lime oil + sucrose + citric acid) beverage as the flavor stimuli. Our results demonstrated two known principles of habituation for retronasally presented odors: (1) prolonged exposure leads to decreased perception and (2) weaker stimuli lead to more rapid habituation. Additionally, we found that the non-food odor habituated slower than the food odor; however, the participants seemed to recover simultaneously upon food and beverage consumption leading to no change in flavor perception. The findings of this study give evidence that we habituate to different odors at different rates; more specifically, we provide evidence that differentiates between odor origin and concentration. This is the first time-intensity characterization of retronasal odor habituation. Additionally, a novel method of administering retronasal odors is presented.

The impact of trigeminal oral burn and pungency on taste, flavor, and mouth-feel perception of commercially available foods is underexplored. This study aimed to determine the effect of oral burn sensations evoked by the addition of chili powder to tomato soup, beef burger patties, and curried rice on taste, flavor, and mouth-feel perception. Chili powder was added to tomato soups, beef burger patties, and curried rice at four concentrations. A consumer panel comprising n=66 participants (49 women, 25.5±5.8 years, BMI 22.9±2.8kg/m2 ) assessed taste, flavor, trigeminal, and mouth-feel intensity of all samples using Rate-All-That-Apply methodology. Food matrix consistency strongly impacted oral burn sensations with solid food matrices (beef burger patties and curried rice) suppressing oral burn intensity compared to liquid food matrices (tomato soup). With increasing oral burn intensity, perceived intensity of beef flavor decreased significantly for beef burger patties. Tomato flavor, sweetness, and sourness intensity decreased significantly with increasing oral burn intensity for tomato soups. Perceived burn intensity of all food matrices and beef flavor intensity of beef burger patties differed between infrequent and frequent chili pepper consumers. We conclude that increasing oral burn intensity by the addition of chili pepper powder led to only small reductions in taste and flavor intensity of tomato soups and to little or no changes in flavor and mouth-feel perception of beef burger patties and curried rice. We suggest that reductions in taste, flavor, and mouth-feel intensity caused by oral burn might be more pronounced in liquid (tomato soup) than solid foods (beef burger patties and curried rice). PRACTICAL APPLICATION: There is a growing public and scientific interest in the development of strategies to increase the sensory appeal of healthy foods and beverages. Incorporation of trigeminal stimuli, such as chili peppers or capsaicin (pungent component of chili peppers), can be a strategy to increase sensory appeal of foods and beverages. Little is known about how trigeminal oral burn and pungency influence taste, flavor, and mouth-feel perception of commercially available foods, although it has been well established that taste, flavor, mouth-feel, and trigeminal sensations contribute to product acceptance. By investigating the sensory impact of oral burn on flavor and mouth-feel perception of foods, this study may help to better understand how trigeminal stimuli can be applied to moderate flavor and mouth-feel perception of foods to optimize sensory appeal.

Defining key parameters and predictive markers of ‘Early Bigi’ cherry consumer satisfaction by means of differential storage scenarios

Chemosensory dysfunction (olfaction, taste, and trigeminal) affects quality of life, potentially impacting eating behaviors. We investigated which factors are associated with weight loss in patients with smell and taste disorders. Retrospective study of consecutive adult patients seen in the smell and taste clinic during a 10-year period. Patients were asked about smell, flavor and taste impairment. Psychophysically, smell was assessed with Sniffin' Sticks, flavor with a retronasal test, and taste with Taste Strips. A total of 554 patients (313 females) were included with a median age of 51 years (IQR 23). Seventy-six (13.7%) reported involuntary weight loss (median 6 kg, IQR 6) due to chemosensory disorders. The odds of losing weight were 2.1 times higher when patients reported subjective changes in flavor perception. Parosmia was a significant predictor of weight loss. Patients with symptoms lasting longer than two years were less likely to present with weight loss. Post-traumatic chemosensory dysfunction was a significant predictor of losing weight. On psychophysical testing, the probability of a patient losing weight increased by 8% for every 1-unit reduction in Taste Strips score. Factors associated with weight loss were self-reported changes in flavor perception, parosmia, duration of symptoms for less than two years, head injury, and psychophysically measured low Taste Strips score. These data help to identify patients at risk of weight loss from smell or taste impairment.

Adding milk to coffee balances its flavor and reduces unpalatable notes (e.g., burnt aroma, bitterness), but research on how adding milk affects in vivo aroma release and perception is limited. This study analyzed the impact of adding cow or oat milk (30% w/w) on in vivo aroma release and flavor perception in medium and dark roasted Arabica coffees. Temporal dominance of sensations showed that medium roast had bitter and roasted flavors, while bitter and burnt flavors dominated the dark roast. The milks elicited their own inherent notes (dairy-like or caramel-like/vanilla-like) and decreased the perception of coffee-related flavors. Aroma release analysis by proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry provided data on 47 volatiles, with quantitative differences between roasting levels being indicative of the changes in perception. While milk addition strongly affected perception, it did not systematically affect in vivo release of coffee-related volatiles, highlighting the challenges in aligning analytical and sensory data sets.

Characterization of the aroma release from retronasal cavity and flavor perception during baijiu consumption by Vocus-PTR-MS, GC×GC-MS, and TCATA analysis

Aroma, tüketicilerin yoğurt tercihlerini etkileyen ana etkendir. Gıdayı tüketirken oluşan aroma algısı, ağızda salınan aroma bileşiklerinin gıda matriksi ve insan tükürüğü arasındaki etkileşimlerine bağlıdır. Yapılan araştırmalar, aroma algısının ve yoğurttan in vivo aroma salınımının birçok faktörden etkilendiğini göstermiştir. Yağ bileşeninin, yoğurdun aromasının tutuklanmasında ve algılanmasında önemli rolü vardır. Özellikle yağı azaltılmış yoğurtlarda, aromanın kontrollü salınmasını desteklemek için ilave edilen protein, yağ, aroma tutuklayıcı bileşenlerin, kıvam verici maddelerin ve tatlandırıcıların in vivo aroma salınımı ve aroma algısı üzerine farklı etkileri vardır. Bununla birlikte yoğurdun formüle edilmesi sırasında değişen tekstür de ağızda aroma salınımını etkilemektedir. Yoğurtta aroma algısı üzerine etki eden faktörleri anlamak, gıda sanayinde yenilikçi ve kabul gören gıda ürünleri üretmede önemlidir. Bu derlemede yoğurdun in vivo tüketimi sırasında matriksin etkisini ortaya koyan çalışmalar incelenmiştir.

Flavour release and perception from model dairy custards

Perception of flavor is a complex process involving the integration of taste and aroma. Few functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have assessed the crossmodal interactions which result in flavor perception, and all previous studies have used a retro-nasal aroma delivery with a delayed swallow, which delays retro-nasal aroma release, and thus, alters taste and aroma integration. In this paper, we assess crossmodal interactions in flavor processing using an immediate swallow fMRI paradigm in 13 healthy volunteers. We compare unimodal taste (sucrose) and unimodal retro-nasal aroma stimuli, with a congruent taste and aroma combination (flavor), to assess crossmodal flavor interactions using an immediate swallow paradigm. Subtraction and conjunction analysis methods are described, and the use of a control stimulus is addressed. Subtraction analysis was found to reveal areas of anterior insula, frontal operculum, anterior cingulate, and orbitofrontal cortex, whilst the conjunction analysis revealed additional active areas in oral somatosensory areas (SI), rolandic operculum and posterior cingulate, supporting the hypothesis that taste, olfactory, and tactile sensations are integrated to produce a flavor percept.

Flavour compounds are released at different times and with differing rates during cheese consumption. This aspect of flavour has received little attention, although it is likely to be of great importance in the perception of hard cheese flavour. Full-fat and reduced-fat hard cheeses were analysed by standard buccal headspace methodology and by conventional descriptive sensory analysis. Cheeses were further analysed by 'time-concentration' buccal headspace methodology and sensory time-intensity analysis. Conventional data distinguished between individual cheeses and between fat contents. Time-course data confirmed the results of conventional analysis, but also allowed the examination of release behaviour and changes in flavour perception with time. Partial least squares regression was successful in predicting some sensory attributes from standard buccal extracts. Time-course studies improved predictive ability.

Decreasing the fat content of a food, while maintaining the same aroma content, changes both aroma release (due to partition effects) and the viscosity of the food. To understand the relative contribution of these two factors on flavor perception, a series of flavored emulsions were prepared to control aroma release and viscosity using different aroma, oil, and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) contents. Samples were formulated to deliver the same aroma-release in vitro and in vivo, and their viscosity was measured using the Kokini oral shear stress parameter. Despite the in vivo aroma release being constant, there were perceptual differences between the samples, and the flavor intensity decreased as in-mouth viscosity increased. For these iso release samples, the Kokini oral shear stress parameter correlated well with the decrease in perception, suggesting that there may be a viscosity stimulus or that the viscosity affects release of tastant and hinders aroma-taste interactions.

Plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) are recognised as sustainable alternatives to meat. However, replicating the sensory quality of meat, particularly flavour and texture, remains a major challenge that limits consumer acceptance. To effectively reduce meat consumption, PBMAs must offer an appealing sensory experience, which requires improving both flavour and texture. Achieving this is complex, as flavour perception depends not only on the presence of flavour compounds but also on their release during consumption. Texture plays a crucial role in this process, as it influences oral processing behaviour and thereby affects flavour release kinetics and dynamic perception.This thesis aimed to understand the mechanisms that influence flavour perception in PBMAs, focusing on how texture, especially juiciness, and oral processing affect flavour release and perception.Juiciness of PBMAs and beef patties was modulated by varying cooking temperature. Lower core temperatures resulted in higher juiciness intensities. As juiciness increased, PBMA patties were perceived as less dry and fattier, while beef patties were also perceived as softer and more tender. Juiciness intensity correlated positively with in vitro and in vivo serum release, suggesting that juiciness perception is primarily determined by serum release during mastication rather than bolus properties at swallowing.To assess whether juiciness influences aroma release, patties with varying juiciness were spiked with a peppermint-like aroma compound (menthone). Despite differences in juiciness, in vivo aroma release and perceived peppermint intensity did not differ significantly. Limited serum release or aroma entrapment within the bolus may have reduced the effect of juiciness on aroma perception, suggesting that juiciness-aroma relationships are product-specific.The role of hardness on aroma release and perception was examined by varying methylcellulose concentration. Increasing methylcellulose led to an increase in hardness, chewiness, and dryness, but a decrease in juiciness, saltiness, umami, and beef flavour. Although perceived aroma intensity decreased with increasing hardness, in vivo aroma release was not significantly affected, indicating that texture mainly influenced aroma through perceptual rather than physicochemical mechanisms.Taste release was investigated through sodium perception in patties differing in hardness and serum release. Increasing the hydration ratio of textured vegetable protein (TVP) produced softer, juicier, and saltier patties. Saltiness correlated more strongly with the sodium concentration in the released serum than with total sodium content, suggesting that controlling serum release and its sodium content could maintain saltiness while reducing overall sodium levels.Additionally, the role of viscosity in savoury enhancement (koku) was studied using beef broths. Yeast extract combined with MSG and IMP enhanced savoury richness and duration in low-viscosity broths, but this effect diminished as viscosity increased.Overall, flavour release in PBMAs depends on the compound type: sodium release is driven by serum composition and quantity, while aroma release is linked to bolus breakdown affected by hardness. Adjusting formulation parameters such as methylcellulose content and TVP hydration can enhance juiciness, saltiness, and aroma perception. These insights provide guidance for improving PBMA sensory quality and promote greater consumer acceptance.