Viscosity is not a parameter of postdeglutitive pharyngeal residue: quantification and analysis with scintigraphy.

The aim of this study was to explore the influence of viscosity on pharyngeal residue in normal healthy volunteers. Scintigraphy was used to measure pharyngeal residue in 11 healthy volunteers after swallowing three different substances (age = 20.2-48.3 years). The first substance was a 10-ml solution of tap water with 0.5% xanthan with a viscosity of 4500 mPa s, comparable to a yogurt drink. The second and third substances were a 0.75% xanthan and a 1.00% xanthan solution, with viscosities of 10,500 and 21,000 mPa s, comparable to low-fat yogurt and 3% fat yogurt, respectively. Tap water was used as the control substance. Mean pharyngeal residue after swallowing tap water was 2.3% (SD = 1.2) of the initial volume in the oral cavity. Pharyngeal residue after swallowing 0.5% xanthan solution was 1.8% (SD = 0.8), after swallowing 0.75% xanthan solution 2.6% (SD = 2.2), and after swallowing 1.00% xanthan solution 2.8% (SD = 1.7). No significant correlation between increase of viscosity and pharyngeal residue was found. In healthy persons viscosity does not seem to be a significant parameter for pharyngeal residue for boluses with viscosities ranging from tap water to solutions having a viscosity comparable to 3% fat yogurt.

Flavor release of diacetyl and 2-heptanone from cream style dressings in three mouth model systems.

The release of volatile compounds from a cream style dressing, which consisted of a thickening agent dispersed in the water phase of an oil in water (o/w) type of emulsion, was studied by the purge-and-trap (PT), dynamic head space mastication (DHM) and dynamic headspace (DH) model systems for diacetyl and 2-heptanone as two volatile compounds. Big differences were detected in the quantity of volatiles released by the three models for both diacetyl and 2-heptanone: PT released the most, followed by DHM and DH. Nitrogen gas bubbling in PT and plunger up-and-down motion in DHM mimic mouth movements and promoted volatile release more than DH. The quantity of volatiles released depended on the nitrogen gas flow rate and isolation period with both the PT and the DHM model. Static headspace measurements indicated that no interaction occurred between the volatiles and the dispersion thickening agent, nor between the volatiles and protein of saliva.

Effect of saliva dilution on the release of diacetyl and 2-heptanone from cream style dressings.

Aroma release from a cream style dressing, consisting of a thickening agent dispersed in the water phase of an oil in water (o/w) emulsion, has been studied by a purge-and-trap (PT) and a dynamic headspace mastication (DHM) model using two representative volatile compounds, viz. diacetyl and 2-heptanone. These isolations have been carried out from three systems: the dressing, the thickening agent dispersion and the o/w type of emulsion after adding different volumes of artificial saliva. Dilution of the samples with artificial saliva influences the amounts released for diacetyl and 2-heptanone differently: diacetyl decreases upon dilution of the thickening agent dispersion, emulsion and dressing. However, the amount of released 2-heptanone decreased only in the case of the thickening agent dispersion. These differences are caused by the distribution of diacetyl and 2-heptanone between the water and the oil phases. The distribution is not so important, when the DHM model is used for the release from dressings. The viscosity of the mixture of dressing and artificial saliva then plays an essential role. In general, the viscosity is considered to suppress the release of flavour. However, it has been found that the amount of volatile compounds released from the more viscous dressing was greater than from the emulsion. Most probably, the DHM model creates a large surface area by adhesion of the dressing on the wall of the sampling flask and the plunger head. This result suggests that the DHM equipment, which mimics the mouth movement, might be used to predict the real release of flavour in the mouth more precisely than other mouth models.