Flavour Perception: Aroma, Taste and Texture Interactions

Flavour perception is determinant for the acceptability of food products by consumers. Aroma and taste play an important role in flavour perception and it is well known that the chemical composition of the matrix and consequently its structure influences release and perception of flavour. However, from simultaneous measurements of human perception and physical concentration in vivo, texture – aroma and texture – taste interactions are not always explained by physico-chemical mechanisms. Moreover aroma – taste interactions have been the subject of many studies already reviewed and are mainly explained by cognitive interactions even if in some case physicochemical mechanisms may occur. Finally, few studies mentioned the impact of aroma and taste on texture perception. The aim of this review is to focus on the impact of aroma, taste and texture interactions on flavour perception. For each type of binary interactions (texture – aroma, aroma – texture, texture – taste, taste – texture, taste – aroma and aroma – taste) we will present a short state of the art and the mechanisms that could be involved in the interactions: physico-chemical and cognitive mechanisms. The mechanisms of aroma – taste and taste – aroma interactions are known to mainly depend on learning association. However, the mechanisms involved in texture – flavour and flavour – texture interactions are more complex and need further developments to understand the part explained by flavour partition in the product, flavour release in the mouth after food breakdown and cognitive interactions. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________