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Science Like the bouquet of wine? It's the mouth bacteria
Science Like the bouquet of wine? It's the mouth bacteria | Like the bouquet of wine? It's the mouth bacteria |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Saturday, 22 November 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 2 In other words, these essentially odorless compounds are transformed into aromatic chemicals called thiols (compounds consisting of sulfur and hydrogen atoms) after being inserted into the mouth, mixed with saliva, and swallowed while in the presence of microflora (microorganisms, specifically, mouth bacteria) within saliva. Featured Whitepaper
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Science DiscussionsIn other words, from the time the fruit or vegetable is inserted into the mouth, saliva gets a hold of the food, and it is swallowed, it takes the mouth bacteria about 20 to 30 seconds to release characteristic odors from volatile compounds (thiols) within such foods. So the panelists could only detect these odors after the compounds were dissolved within the saliva. And, the taste can remain up to three minutes. The researchers state that the mouth is kinda like a “reactor”: reacting to foods to make them taste better. Specifically, the whole process helps to give the rich flavors to wine, onions, and peppers (the three foods studied), and (supposedly) to other fruits and vegatables. The researchers also state that the mouth bacteria Fusobacterium nucleatum is known to be one such bacteria that is involved in this tasty process. [New Scientist: “How mouth bugs make food tastier” November 15-21, 2008, page 18] Researchers now have a better idea how fruits and vegetables taste the way they do while in the mouth. They state that such knowledge may be used in the future to flavor foods. |
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