Oral processing during bread consumption is a key process related to the dynamics of texture perceptions, sensory stimuli release and starch digestion. The aim of this study was to determine the respective contribution of bread properties (composition and structure of crumb and crust) and of the oral physiology of subjects to the breakdown pathways in the mouth. The properties of the in vivo bread bolus obtained from eight healthy subjects were studied at three key points in time during their oral processing. The progressive lubrication and breakdown of bread were observed, as well as the beginning of the enzymatic degradation of starch. The study showed that "time" was the factor responsible for the greatest variability in bolus properties. Breakdown pathways were established for crumbs with and without crust. The presence of crust modified the oral processing, increasing, for instance, the heterogeneity of particle size at the middle of the oral processing sequence. Moreover, the hydration capacity of crust contributed to high starch degradation at swallowing time, in comparison with crumb alone. The main subject characteristics impacting bolus properties were the in-mouth duration, the individual masticatory index and the mouth volume, while the main bread properties explaining the bolus properties were the initial composition and the water-absorbing capacity. We concluded that both crumb and crust structures had an impact on the oral processing, affecting the capacity of hydration, the rheology and the breakdown degree of the bolus.

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Distilled beverages are appreciated by consumers for their aromatic richness and changes during product consumption, but mechanisms still remain unclear. In this context, the objective of the present study was to better understand the origin of temporal perception by a combined approach (dynamic sensory and instrumental) during the consumption of brandies with different aging and known to have different qualities. The five brandies were significantly perceived differently according to sensory profile results. Temporal sensory results showed common perception sequences between products in terms of taste and trigeminal sensations whereas different aromatic sequences were highlighted between products after they were spat out, depending mainly on their aging. Releases over consumption of some aroma compounds specific of brandy flavour were measured in panelist's nose by proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry. In all cases, similar release patterns were observed, although higher intensities were observed for esters in aged brandies, where they were at higher levels. It is therefore proposed that quantitative differences and not specific release patterns are at the origin of the observed pattern of temporal dominance of sensations. Aroma compounds from wood could also be possible at the origin of aromatic interactions with other perceptions, changing brandy overall perception.

During oral processing and throughout the digestion process, hydration mechanisms have a key influence on the functional properties of food. This is the case with bread, for which hydration may affect the kinetics of starch hydrolysis as well as taste, aroma and texture perceptions. In this context, the aim of the present study is to understand how crumb porous micro-architecture impacts hydration kinetics. Four types of French baguettes were considered, varying in structure and/or compositions. An experimental set-up was developed for the real-time measurement of water uptake in crumb samples. Mathematical models were then fitted to extract quantitative parameters of use for the description and the understanding of experimental observations. Finally, bread crumb samples were analyzed before and after hydration through X-ray micro-computed tomography for the assessment of crumb micro-architectural properties. Distinct hydration behaviors were observed for the four types of bread. Higher hydration rates and capacities were reported for industrial baguettes (highest porosity) compared to denser semi-industrial, whole wheat and traditional baguettes. However, crumb porosity alone is not sufficient to predict hydration behavior. This study made it possible to point out the importance of capillary action in crumb hydration mechanisms, with a strong role of cells with diameters of 2 mm and below. The high density of these small cells generates high interconnection probabilities that may have an impact both on crumb hydration duration and capacity. As a consequence, accounting for microstructural features resulting from bread formulation may provide useful leverages for the control of functional properties.

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This study examined the effects of bread crumb and crust structure on volatile release and aroma perception during oral processing. French baguettes with different crumb structures were procured from a supermarket or local bakeries (n = 6) or produced in the laboratory via par baking (n = 3). Eight study participants consumed crumb-only and crumb-and-crust samples, and the resulting volatile release was measured in vivo using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry. A statistical model was then used to examine the contributions of volatile compounds to target ion production (i.e., crumb or crust markers). Utilizing the three laboratory-produced breads, chewing behavior and aroma perception were measured via electromyography and the temporal dominance of sensations method, respectively. The results revealed that the initial levels of crumb markers as well as crumb firmness affected the crumb markers release. Crust markers were released more quickly than crumb markers, leading to different perception dynamics.