Modeling the kinetics of flavour release during drinking

Novel mathematical models for flavour release during drinking are described, based on the physiology of breathing and swallowing. Surprisingly, we conclude that most flavour molecules arriving in the nose are extracted from liquid left in the throat, after swallowing. The models are fit to real time flavour release data obtained using APCI-mass spectrometry. Before modelling, raw data are corrected for the effects of varying airflow rate, using the signal from acetone in exhaled air. A simple equilibrium batch extraction model correctly describes flavour release during the first breaths after swallowing a flavoured liquid. It shows that for eight volatiles, whose in vitro air-water partition coefficients vary by a factor of 500, the apparent in vivo air-saliva partition coefficients vary only by a factor of five. To interpret the kinetics of flavour release longer after swallowing, diffusion of flavour into the throat lining is included. This is done using a three-layer model for mass transfer in the throat. An analytical solution of this model gives good fits to typical data. These models de-couple the physiological and physico-chemical aspects of flavour release, clarifying the effect of behaviour on in-vivo flavour release.