Taste Release and Its Effect on Overall Flavor Perception

摘要

Methods for monitoring the concentrations of both volatile and non-volatile flavor compounds, close to the respective flavor receptors in the nose and on the tongue during eating, have been developed. Using these techniques, a "time release" profile can be built for each of the flavor compounds in a food over the time course of eating. These release profiles can then be compared with perceived flavor, measured using conventional sensory analyses, to study the contribution of the volatile and non-volatile flavor signals to the overall perceived flavor. The methods were applied to model gel-based and viscous foods as well as a chewing gum system. From the systems tested, there was evidence that the intensity of perceived volatile flavor was not solely due to the concentration of volatile in-nose. Various explanations for this discrepancy are given along with preliminary experimental data that suggest that delivery of the non-volatile flavor component also affects the perceived intensity of volatile flavor compounds.