Julius Persoone & Dr. Thomas Moors make people with throat cancer able to taste again

Yesterday, chefs, food scientists and entrepreneurs from all over the world gathered (virtually) at the gastronomic event ‘Eating the gap’. There, all kinds of new, innovative ways of preparing food were presented. A striking name was that of Julius Persoone, the son of Bruges chocolatier Dominique Persoone.

He yesterday presented a new praline specially designed for throat cancer patients who have had to have their larynx removed. That operation has left them unable to speak normally and has also reduced their sense of smell and taste.

‘These people no longer produce enough saliva themselves, so they don’t taste everything,’ explains Julius Persoone. ‘That’s why we made a praline to which artificial saliva has been added, a mixture of water and salts.’

‘The idea is that when you bite into the praline, you first ingest that first layer of artificial saliva, which allows you to taste the whole flavour palette of the praline again,’ says Persoone. ‘The second layer then consists of a strong jelly of strawberry and mint.’

The chocolate itself has also been modified. ‘We added extra acids to the fermentation process. Because acid means extra saliva and therefore extra flavour. The praline is actually a real flavour bomb. For people who do not have a reduced sense of taste, the flavour is a bit too strong, though.’

The shape of the praline was deliberately designed in the form of a pill. ‘We actually wanted to show the medical world that a bitter pill does not always have to be in bad taste,’ says Persoone.

Delicious in every way

Some Flemish throat cancer patients have already been able to taste the new praline. And the first reactions already appear to be positive: ‘The praline was delicious in every way,’ says Anne Aelvoet. ‘Especially swallowing it was very smooth because the filling is so runny. It was a very pure strawberry flavour, no chemical aftertaste. It was simply the max.’

For Frank Meeus, then again, the filling was a bit too runny. ‘That one could have been a bit thicker for me,’ he says. ‘But the taste of both the filling and the chocolate was very nice. Not too sour, not too bitter.’

‘I think this will come highly recommended to anyone with the same issues,’ Guy Vandaele also says.

The request for a praline specifically for throat cancer patients came from Dr Thomas Moors, who is also already founder and conductor of the choir ‘Shout at cancer’. The choir members are all cancer patients who have had to have their larynxes and vocal cords removed. This time, he was looking for a solution for this group of people to help them enjoy food more again.