Investigating protein and saliva interactions, impact on mucosal surfaces and any links to resulting mouthfeel

随着消费者健康意识的增强，食品行业面临着前所未有的巨大压力，以满足对更健康、更有营养的食品(如低糖/脂肪、高蛋白/纤维)的需求。这种需求不仅是由消费者推动的，也是由卫生当局推动的。不断增长的老龄化人口也要求开发从营养和感官角度都能满足这些消费者要求的食品。食物基质中成分的添加或去除会导致食物材料在口腔加工过程中结构和动态分解行为的变化，最终影响感官知觉。因此，产品重组的关键挑战是保持消费者在质地、口感和味道方面的可接受性。食物成分在口腔加工过程中与唾液和粘膜表面的相互作用被认为在决定感官体验方面起着至关重要的作用。项目目标：本项目的目的是阐明不同食物成分在口腔加工过程中的功能作用，以及它们与口腔环境的相互作用，以及这些作用可能如何影响感官感受。特别令人感兴趣的是蛋白质及其对口感的影响，例如，在食用含有蛋白质的零食时，口感变干、粉末感。因此，重点是了解蛋白质(例如牛奶/植物基)与唾液(E.A.水合动力学)，对粘膜表面的影响和到所产生的口腔感觉的ANV链接。方法：该项目将采取分阶段的方法来解决该项目的主要目标，逐步建立对蛋白质和口腔环境之间的相互作用的复杂性和理解，

With the increased awareness of wellbeing in consumers, the food industry faces the strongest ever pressure to satisfy the demand for healthier and more nutritious foods (e.g. low sugar/fat, high protein/fibre). This demand is not only driven by consumers but also health authorities. The growing ageing population also necessitates the development of food products that meet the requirements of these consumers from both a nutritional and sensory perspective. The addition or removal of ingredients from the food matrix leads to changes in the structure-and dynamic breakdown behaviour of the food material during oral processing, which ultimately influence sensory perception. Hence, the key challenge for product reformulation is to maintain consumer acceptability with respect to texture, mouthfeel and flavour. Food component interactions with saliva and mucosal surfaces during oral processing are considered to play a crucial role in determining the sensory experience.Project aim: The aim of this project is to elucidate the functional role of different food components during oral processing and their interaction with the oral environment and how these roles may affect sensory perceptions. Of particular interest are proteins and their impact on mouthfeel, e.g. drying, powdery feel upon consumption of protein containing snacks. Hence, the focus is on understanding the interactions of proteins (e.g. milk / plant based) with saliva (e.a. hydration kinetics), impact on mucosal surfaces and anv links to resulting mouthfeel.Approach: The project will take a staged approach to addressing the primary objective of the project, gradually building complexity and understanding of the interactions between protein and the oral environment,