Abstract
The impact of different bitter taste compounds on the retronasal perception of coffee aroma was investigated. A sorted napping experiment was carried out on thirteen compounds at iso-intense bitter concentrations. Differences in perceptual bitter sub-qualities among the compounds were reported by Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) and Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA) analyses. Seven exemplar compounds were further selected to investigate the impact of taste sub-qualities on cross-modal flavor interactions. In general, the different bitter compounds, when paired with a coffee aroma isolate, significantly modified the perception of the retronasal coffee aroma profile. Interestingly, the three bitter compounds endogenous to coffee had the most similar impact on the coffee aroma profile. Further sensory analysis of these sample sets indicated no significant effect of the bitter compounds on the orthonasal perception. Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the volatile composition of the samples headspace also indicated negligible impact of the bitter compounds on aroma release. Altogether evidence of cross-modal interactions occurring at a higher cognitive level were demonstrated in a complex food sample, supporting the importance of multi-modal sensory integration on flavor perception.
Highlights
Flavor is one of the most multimodal sensory experiences that humans perceive [1]
A sorted napping experiment was conducted to evaluate if bitter taste compounds could be grouped based on sensorial similarities as well as to assess the relative difference between any observed groupings
Thirteen bitter compounds were selected (Fig 1) for evaluation, including: compounds 1–4: quinine (1), magnesium sulfate (2), urea (3) and sucrose octaacetate (4), known bitter compounds typically used as biological references in taste perception studies [26]; compounds 5–9: catechin (5), epicatechin (6), tryptophan (7), phenylalanine (8) and naringin (9) prevalent in food, plant materials and comprised of phenolic compounds and amino acids; and compounds 10–13: caffeine (10) and three diketopiperazines (11–13) that have been previously identified in coffee and other natural products and processed foods [27]
Summary
Flavor is one of the most multimodal sensory experiences that humans perceive [1]. The multisensory integration of flavor has been largely studied by sensory approaches [2,3,4] while others have used neuro-imaging techniques [5,6]. A recent “flavor network” model has been proposed [7] and gives the orbitofrontal cortex a central role in the integration of taste, aroma and chemesthetic signals additional evidence suggests interactions might even occur in the periphery [8,9]. Multiple factors are known to impact cross-modal flavor interactions [10]. Taste and aroma interactions have been the most studied and known to result from physical, physiological, cognitive and/or psychological mechanisms [11].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
