Aroma Perception

Question 1

Through which methods is aroma perceived

Answer 1

Orthonasal

Retronasal

Question 2

What’s the difference between orthonasal and retronasal

Answer 2

Orthonasal
Lamina flow, aroma breathed in and aroma compounds interact with receptors in the olfactory mucosa

Retronasal
Turbulent flow, relies on taste, mouthfeel, structure and temperature. Example of crossmodal interaction

Question 3

What is the process of aroma transduction

Answer 3

Conversion of chemical stimuli to electrical stimuli

Question 4

How can we perceive so many different aromas

Answer 4

Small changes in the amino acid sequences of the trans membrane receptors dictate differences in binding

Question 5

Explain the process of odour transduction

Answer 5

Odorants bins to receptors
Receptor cells and activated and send electric signals
Signals relayed to glomeri
Signals are transmitted to higher regions of the brain

Question 6

Given that most odourants and hydrophobic and the mucosa is mostly water, how do we perceive aroma

Answer 6

The lipocalin family have a hydrophobic core and hydrophilic outside. They have low specificity so will bind to odourants and carry them to the receptor

Question 7

What is the mechanism of aroma perception and how does it work

Answer 7

Combinatorial processing

Many odourants can bind to many receptors and vice Versa. This overlap explains how we perceive odour. Different odours are coded by different combinations of olfactory receptors