Experimental approaches to better understand the retention of aroma compounds in oro-naso-pharyngeal cavities

Better understanding the persistence of aroma compounds during food consumption has constituted a challenging issue in food science for a long time. Due to the complexity and the diversity of the phenomena involved, it has often been studied through in vitro approaches. The main objective of the present study was to propose a global approach to address this topic in in vivo conditions. Four simple experimental protocols were developed to differently expose the compartments of naso-oro-pharyngeal cavities to flavored gaseous samples. Assumptions on possible mechanisms (mass transfer, dilution, interactions with mucosa and/or saliva, etc.) were proposed to explain the shapes of release kinetics that were observed. Release differences appeared to be dependent on the physicochemical properties of volatile molecules, on the physiological characteristics of individuals (notably saliva properties) and on the compartment of the naso-oro-pharyngeal cavities that was considered. These achievements constitute a first step to progress in the understanding of relationships that exist between aroma release and perception