Flavour perception mechanisms

Perception of the flavour of foods is a complex process that involves the senses of smell and taste, and chemesthesis (the common chemical sense; also called pungency or irritation). Each sense contributes special characteristics to a flavour through its ability to interact with different types of chemical stimuli, or through neural interactions that may modulate the responses of the other senses. In this overview, we describe the major features of flavour perception in the context of the production of flavour during the eating process, the mechanisms of flavour reception and perception, the interactions of the chemical senses and, briefly, the influence or role of flavour in food acceptance and nutrient intake, and the possibility of replacing humans with instruments for the objective measurement of flavour.