Only for a couple of decades flavour chemists are not only investigating the molecular composition of food aromas, but also their release mechanisms when a meal is presented to the consumer and smelled, or when the food is ingested, chewed and swallowed.Scientists developed numerous approaches to monitor the complex processes taking place during food disruption, mixing and dilution, and to follow the resulting release of odorants in the mouth and their transfer to the nasal cavity. Volatiles being exhaled either from the mouth or nose were analysed either by on-line mass spectrometric techniques, or were trapped and further analysed e.g. for trace but odour potent constituents. Monitored odorant profiles and their dynamics were further evaluated with regard to their correlation with sensory perception. This period of intense research brought about not only a number of novel methodological approaches that were specifically adapted to the equirements of in-vivo analytics. It also dramatically broadened our understanding of the specific �human� aspects in this area of research: individuality and complexity. In view of this, even today our understanding of the final sensing and processing mechanisms of the chemo-sensory stimuli during eating is still limited.This overview presentation will highlight the achievements, and the progress that has been made in flavour release research, but will also address open questions that remained unanswered until today.

Progress in analysis of flavour release during eating

242nd National Meeting (2011)

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