Development of a new in vitro model of oral mucosa to investigate a new hypothesis on the molecular origin of astringency

Astringency is described as an oral tactile perception occurring during the consumption of tannin-rich foods. This sensation, mediated by the trigeminal nerves, participates negatively to the flavor of foods leading to the rejection of food with high astringency by the consumer. The exact molecular mechanism of its origin and the nature of the sensory receptors activated are still under debate. Up to recently, the main hypotheses involved changes in the lubrication properties of the oral cavity triggering the activation of mechanoreceptors. Recently, we have put a new hypothesis involving the mucin MUC1 forward as an explanation of the origin of astringency. MUC1 is a transmembrane mucin wi…