(PL6) From eating to liking: Saliva, the missing link

2012

abstract of plenary talk; During the experience of eating, saliva is the first fluid meeting the food introduced into the mouth. During mastication, saliva and food interact strongly and mix together to form the bolus. The contribution. of saliva to the final volume of the bolus can even be higher than the volume of the food itself. It is. therefore not the food itself that is perceived when consumed but the mixture of food and saliva. However, the role of saliva in perception is not totally elucidated yet. Saliva plays various roles in food perception. First of all, it allows the release of taste and aroma. compounds from the food matrix in the oral cavity. Availability of these compounds …