Sweet–sour mixture suppression in older and young adults

Abstract

Prior to investigating the effect of sweet–sour taste mixtures in neurologic dysphagia patients, this study examined whether older adults exhibited a similar pattern of sweet–sour mixture suppression compared with young adults. Two experiments were conducted comparing healthy older and young subjects, using sucrose or aspartame mixed with citric acid, with and without lemon flavoring. Two experiments examined the effect of sweetener type and level, citric acid level, flavoring, and cold temperature with the young only. Sourness was suppressed by sweeteners, and sweetness was suppressed by citric acid at suprathreshold tastant levels typically seen in beverages. There was little to no effect of flavoring or cold temperatures on the pattern of suppression of sweetness or sourness. The older group showed similar sweet–sour mixture suppression patterns to the young. The lack of flavoring or cold temperatures during videofluoroscopic swallow studies will not impact sweet–sour mixture suppression effects.