<p>Aroma
persistence plays a major role in the liking and wanting of orally consumed products
(food, dental toiletries, tobacco, drugs, etc.). Here, we use an integral
approach including <i>ex vivo</i>
experiments using a novel model of oral mucosa and saliva in well controlled
conditions as well as <i>in vivo</i> dynamic
instrumental and sensory experiments. <i>Ex
vivo</i> experiments show the ability of the mucosal pellicle, the thin layer
of salivary proteins covering the oral mucosa, to interact with aroma compounds,
as well as the ability of oral cells and saliva to metabolize carbonyl aroma compounds.
<i>In vivo</i> evaluation of the exhaled air
and perception of individuals after aroma sample consumption confirm <i>ex vivo</i> findings in a more real context.
Thus, aroma compounds susceptible to be
metabolized by saliva and oral cells show a lower aroma persistence than non
metabolized compounds, for which other mechanisms such as the adsorption at the
surface of the oral mucosa (mucosal pellicle) as a function of their
hydrophobicity are involved. Thus, we argue that the physiological aspects
occurring during the oral processing, and especially, metabolization of aroma
compounds, have to be considered when studying the phenomenon of aroma
persistence.</p>