Modeling aroma release during in vivo food oral processing using digimouth
The perception of flavor during food consumption is a complex process governed by the dynamic release of aroma compounds, which is influenced by the interaction between the food matrix and human physiology. While mechanistic models have been developed to simulate these phenomena, their practical application has often been limited by the lack of flexible software tools capable of integrating diverse food structures and real-time physiological data. This study addresses this gap by incorporating in vivo mechanistic models for both liquid foods and melting solid matrices in a modular Python-based framework: digimouth. The modeling approach treats the oral, pharyngeal, and nasal cavities as a series of interconnected reactors with mass transfer governed by ordinary differential equations (ODEs). These models explicitly integrate key physiological parameters, including salivary flow, bidirectional respiratory airflow, and discrete events such as mastication and swallowing. For solid foods, the framework incorporates additional mechanisms for matrix dissolution, temperature-dependent melting, and dynamic surface area change. The models were validated using experimental data from 30 subjects who consumed aroma solutions and flavored gelatin gummy discs while monitored by PTR-MS (Proton Transfer Reaction - Mass Spectrometry). The simulations successfully reproduced the main kinetic features and release profiles observed experimentally for both types of matrices. Despite some limitations related to the self-reporting of physiological events and the non-inclusion of initial orthonasal mass transfer in the models, the developed software package proved to be a robust and evolutive tool. It offers a foundation for exploring inter-individual variability and the impact of complex food structures on sensory perception.