Team FFOPP

Following our overarching strategy based on the systemic study of flavour centred on the Food-Eater tandem, the project of FFOPP aims at amplifying our transdisciplinary study of the in-mouth and in-brain mechanisms that contribute to food perception. We follow four axes focusing on (i) the crosstalk between food, oral biology and perception, (ii) the role of oronasal cavity enzymes in modulating flavour compounds and perception. (iii) the influence of food oral processing on shaping the dynamics of flavour release and temporal perception, (iv) the sensory and brain mechanisms responsible for the perception of flavour. In addition, we consider the variability of food and the variability of individuals as an advanced transversal research challenge to tackle complex mechanisms.

Our ambition is to provide both basic and applied knowledge on the factors involved in food perception and the opportunities to improve flavour and texture in a variety of situations, including (i) the development of sustainable foods and drinks: reformulation with low fat, salt, sugar and alcohol, the inclusion of plant-sourced proteins, and modifications induced by processing (e.g. fermentation), and (ii) different populations’ needs: influence of pathologies (obesity, cancer treatments), ageing, culture and lifestyle.

In our research projects, we collaborate actively with national and international partners from both the public and private sectors, but also locally with the Faculty of Odontology (University of Burgundy) and the Brain Imaging Department at the Dijon University Hospital. Through this collaborative and interdisciplinary work, we can achieve our goal for the development of more healthy and sustainable foods.

Thierry Thomas-Danguin, INRAE

Christian Salles, INRAE

Researchers:

Victorin AHOSSI, CHU Dijon

Nihad-Alexandre AL-HALABI, CHU Dijon

Rita EID, CHU Dijon

Gilles FERON, INRAE

Hélène LABOURE, Institut Agro Dijon

Yves LE-FUR, Institut Agro Dijon

Eric NEYRAUD, INRAE

José A. PIORNOS, INRAE

Christian SALLES, INRAE

Mathieu SCHWARTZ, INRAE

Charlotte SINDING, INRAE

Rohit SRIVASTAVA, INRAE

Thierry THOMAS-DANGUIN, INRAE

Research engineers and technicians:

Hélène BRIGNOT, INRAE

Claire FOLLOT, Institut Agro Dijon

Zaira HERNANDEZ CASIANO, INRAE

Bérénice HOUINSOU HOUSSOU, INRAE

Mélanie LELIEVRE, INRAE

Franck MENETRIER, INRAE

Jade MORENO, INRAE

Véronique SENTY-SEGAULT, CNRS

Chantal SEPTIER, INRAE

PhD students and post-docs:

Lucas DEBRAINE, PhD Student

Ambre GODET, Post-Doc

Loïc JOUBERT-LAURENCIN, PhD Student

Anaïs LAVOISIER, Post-Doc

Gauthier LE-GUILLAS, PhD Student

The scientific objective of the FFOPP team is to better understand the mechanisms underpinning flavour and texture perception and their variability through a transdisciplinary systemic approach considering food composition, food oral processing, oral biology, and sensory signal integration in the brain.

Following our overarching strategy based on the systemic study of flavour centred on the Food-Eater tandem, the project of FFOPP aims at amplifying our transdisciplinary study of the in-mouth and in-brain mechanisms that contribute to food perception. We follow four axes focusing on (i) the crosstalk between food, oral biology and perception, (ii) the role of oronasal cavity enzymes in modulating flavour compounds and perception. (iii) the influence of food oral processing on shaping the dynamics of flavour release and temporal perception, (iv) the sensory and brain mechanisms responsible for the perception of flavour. In addition, we consider the variability of food and the variability of individuals as an advanced transversal research challenge to tackle complex mechanisms.

Our ambition is to provide both basic and applied knowledge on the factors involved in food perception and the opportunities to improve flavour and texture in a variety of situations, including (i) the development of sustainable foods and drinks: reformulation with low fat, salt, sugar and alcohol, the inclusion of plant-sourced proteins, and modifications induced by processing (e.g. fermentation), and (ii) different populations’ needs: influence of pathologies (obesity, cancer treatments), ageing, culture and lifestyle.

In our research projects, we collaborate actively with national and international partners from both the public and private sectors, but also locally with the Faculty of Odontology (University of Burgundy) and the Brain Imaging Department at the Dijon University Hospital. Through this collaborative and interdisciplinary work, we can achieve our goal for the development of more healthy and sustainable foods.

• Karolkowski A, Gourrat K, Bouzidi E, Albouy JF, Levavasseur L, Briand L, Guichard E, Salles C (2023). Origins of Volatile Compounds and Identification of Odour-active Compounds in Air-classified Fractions of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L. minor). Food Research International. 163, 112260. https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-03888015 
• Licandro H, Truntzer C, Fromentin S, Morabito C, Quinquis B, Pons N, Martin C, Blottière HM, Neyraud E (2023). The bacterial species profiles of the lingual and salivary microbiota differ with basic tastes sensitivity in human. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 20339. https://hal.science/hal-04304765v1 
• Piornos JA, Koussissi E, Balagiannis DP, Brouwer E, Parker JK (2023). Alcohol‐free and low‐alcohol beers: Aroma chemistry and sensory characteristics. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 22(1), 233-259. https://hal.science/hal-03839256v1 
• Ma Y, Béno N, Tang K, Li Y, Simon M, Xu Y, Thomas-Danguin T (2022). Assessing the contribution of odor-active compounds in icewine considering odor mixture-induced interactions through gas chromatography–olfactometry and Olfactoscan. Food Chemistry, 388, 132991. https://hal.science/hal-03713076v1 
• Robert-Hazotte A, Faure P, Ménétrier F, Folia M, Schwartz M, Le Quéré JL, Neiers F, Thomas-Danguin T, Heydel JM (2022). Nasal odorant competitive metabolism is involved in the human olfactory process. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 70(27), 8385-8394. https://hal.science/hal-03728119v1 
• Schwartz M, Brignot H, Feron G, Hummel T, Zhu Y, von Koskull D, Heydel JM, Lirussi F, Canon F, Neiers F (2022). Role of human salivary enzymes in bitter taste perception. Food Chemistry, 386, 132798. https://hal.science/hal-03712655v1 
• Lorieau L, Floury J, Septier C, Laguerre A, Le Roux L, Hazart E, Ligneul A, Dupont D, Vigneau E, Hanafi M, Feron G, Labouré, H. (2021). Relationship among oral health status, bolus formation and food comfortability during consumption of model cheeses in elderly. Food & Function, 12(16), 7379-7389. https://hal.science/hal-03277932v1 
• Sinding C, Thibault H, Hummel T, Thomas-Danguin T (2021). Odor-induced saltiness enhancement: Insights into the brain chronometry of flavor perception. Neuroscience, 452, 126-137. https://hal.science/hal-03031862v1 
• Guichard E, Barba C, Thomas-Danguin T, Tromelin A (2019). Multivariate statistical analysis and odor–taste network to reveal odor–taste associations. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 68(38), 10318-10328. https://hal.science/hal-02617715v1