Fatty Acids Taste Intensity Ratings Before and After Sour Taste Adaptation

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Recent research indicates that the taste quality of fatty acids, called ‘Oleogustus’, differs from the traditionally accepted five basic tastes. However, the actual quality of the sensation has not been characterized. One question is whether there is a sour component because very short-chain fatty acids, like acetic acid, the sour tastant in vinegar, is structurally a fatty acid. The present study investigated the quality sensation of fatty acids of graded chain length. Methods Sensory stimuli were acetic acid, butyric acid, hexanoic acid, octanoic acid, decanoic acid, lauric acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid emulsions and palmitic acid, stearic acid powder. The intensity of the samples before and after expectorating was measured. Next, participants repeatedly sipped, held for 5 seconds, and expectorated a sour solution (0.09% w/w) and rated the intensity on a gLMS until the intensity was lower than “weak”. After adaption to the sour solution, the intensity of the sample was measured before and after expectorating. Participants recorded the quality of each sample. Results The intensity of acetic acid was significantly lower after adaptation (P < 0.04) that before adaptation and a similar trend was noted for butyric acid. The other fatty acids were not affected by adaptation. The intensities of all liquid samples except the octanoic acid solution showed a significant difference between before and after expectorating the samples. The intensities of acetic, butyric and hexanoic acids were lower after expectorating the samples than the intensities before expectorating the samples (P < 0.05) while the intensities of decanoic acid, lauric acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid (P < 0.05) were lower after expectorating. There was no significant difference in intensity of the palmitic acid solution and the intensity of the stearic acid solution between before and after expectorating. Conclusions The results showed that fatty acids with chain lengths great than 4 have a unique taste other than the sourness. In addition, short-chain fatty acid solutions had higher intensity before expectorating the solutions while the medium- and long-chain fatty acid solutions had higher intensity after expectorating solutions, indicating that there is a different persistence time for fatty acid directly related to chain-length. Funding Sources This study has no sponsors.