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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Flavour & saliva interaction – a brief overview

subject

description

Saliva is a highly complex body fluid composed of many proteins, peptides, small organic molecules and ions. Saliva is secreted at rest and during eating by major and minor salivary glands. Resting saliva is continuously bathing our oral cavity and as such stimulates our taste receptors playing thus a role in taste sensitivity against some active taste substances. Beside, during eating, foods are chewed and a significant level of stimulated saliva is rapidly incorporated in the bolus. This in-mouth phenomena impact on flavor release and thus perception through saliva-food physical interactions but also through the action of biological compounds (enzymes mainly) against the food matrix. Saliva appears thus as a key driver of flavour sensory perception in human and this aspect must be considered in strategy aiming at developping food products for specific population.