A ground breaking “artificial mouth”

March 3, 2008 This surprising apparatus has been under development for a number of years by the team of Christian Salles in the publicly-funded research unit FLAVIC (Flavour Vision Consumer Behaviours).

This research team is specialized in the mouth mechanisms that lead to the perception of what we call flavours. There are currently two approaches for this type of research. The first, the “in vivo” approach, requires a panel of human tasters, sometimes a significant number, and has certain disadvantages. “The sensitivity of human receptors is not consistent. As such we are often faced with a very large variability between individuals”, explains the Burgundy-based researcher.

The second, so-called “in vitro” approach, has led this research team to design a prototype “masticator”, in other words an apparatus that simulates the chewing action. Even if it is far from claiming to have all the characteristics and functions of a real mouth, the artificial mouth none-the-less has teeth, a tongue and a supply of artificial saliva. “We can connect various machines, a mass spectrometer for example, as we have done in the past with human subjects, which allows us to follow in real time the liberation of a number of flavour components as the food is chewed in the mouth”, explains Christian Salles.

Today, the members of this Dijon-based team are developing a new version of this groundbreaking prototype, the first of its kind both in France and the world. “We would like to optimise certain functions and add a few others, such as a swallowing system. One of our long term objectives is to connect the mastication simulator to digestors in order to study the whole chain”, he explains.

Carried out as a part of a Vitagora accredited project, this research is made all the more interesting for the fact that it involves specialists from a whole range of disciplines, including biochemistry, mechanics, electronics, automated systems... “At a later date, we are hoping to integrate vision into the simulator, probably using imaging technologies, in order to follow the destruction of the food bolus during mastication.” An exciting undertaking that is being followed with much interest by the food industry!

Contact
Christian Salles
UMR FLAVIC
Email: salles@dijon.inra.fr