Differences In Taste Research Articles

Addition of Carrot Pomace to Enhance the Physical, Sensory, and Functional Properties of Beef Patties

The global challenge of food waste necessitates innovative solutions, such as incorporating carrot pomace, a nutrient-rich by-product of carrot juice production, into beef patties to enhance their nutritional and functional properties. This study evaluated beef patties with carrot pomace added at 0%, 1.0%, 3.0%, and 4.2%, analyzing the proximate composition, pH, color, cooking yield, water-holding capacity (WHC), texture, and sensory attributes. Adding 3.0% and 4.2% pomace significantly reduced the moisture content by 5.5% and 3.3%, respectively, and decreased redness by 40% in the 4.2% patties. The cooking yield increased by 13.9% and 22.8%, and WHC improved by 8.5% and 15.7%, respectively, with these additions. The textural properties showed substantial reductions in hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness, particularly at 4.2%. The sensory evaluation indicated no significant differences in appearance, aroma, taste, or overall liking for patties with up to 3% pomace. In comparison, patties with 4.2% pomace received lower scores for overall liking and firmness. These findings suggest that incorporating up to 3% carrot pomace in beef patties enhances their functional properties and dietary fiber content without compromising the sensory quality. This offers a sustainable and practical approach to food waste valorization.

Divergences and convergences across European musical preferences: How taste varies within and between countries

When investigating relational structures in culture, research in Europe has often either mapped the relationship between cultural tastes in a particular context, or mapped differences in cultural tastes (measured consistently) in different countries, without assessing how these differences can vary across them. Indeed, the idea of national homology (namely that the structures of cultural capital would be fairly similar in nations across Europe) has never been really tested, probably due to a lack of cross-national research on cultural preferences. Using data from the EUCROSS survey that took place in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain and the UK (2012–2013, n = 6016), we first use multiple correspondence analysis to estimate the relationships between a set of items on musical tastes. We then extend this through the use of class-specific analysis, to investigate how these relationships vary in each of the six countries. Finally, we analyse the relationships between the underlying dimensions of music tastes and different components of cosmopolitanism, compared with key demographic variables. We show that the musical field significantly varies across the nations represented in the survey, demonstrating that musical preferences remain largely anchored in national contexts. Cultural preferences are shaped by historical and social dynamics specific to each country, with significant variations in the symbolic value and demographic associations of music genres.

Bending light: How cognitive styles influence the pitch evaluations and performance predictions of crowdfunded ventures

ABSTRACT Most entrepreneurial finance studies have treated funders as a monolithic group and ignored individual differences in tastes. This overlook is complicated by prior studies demonstrating how entrepreneurs would utilize either costly to be acquired cues (e.g. patents) that signal venture quality or costless cues that are easily fabricated (e.g. company name fluency) in their pitches to influence investors. We thus investigate how cognitive styles influence heterogeneous crowdfunding backers’ evaluations of pitches in the presence of costly and costless cues. Based on Cognitive-Experiential Self-Theory, we illustrate that a rational thinking style moderate the contrast effect, i.e. costly cues overpowering costless cues, on pitch evaluations and performance predictions for crowdfunded ventures, while an experiential thinking style will attenuate such contrast effect. Findings from two experiments support the moderating effect of a rational thinking style. We demonstrate backers are not monolithic and call for future studies to understand how heterogeneous backers make decisions.

Utilizing nontargeted metabolomics integrated with quality component quantitation via differential analysis to reveal the taste differences between and metabolite characteristics of hawk black tea and hawk white tea

This study conducted a comprehensive analysis of the differences in the taste characteristics of hawk black tea and hawk white tea, exploring the intrinsic relationship between nonvolatile metabolites and these taste characteristics. The results revealed significant differences in taste properties of the two types of hawk tea. Hawk black tea mainly exhibits a fresh, sweet, and sweet aftertaste quality, whereas hawk white tea offers a mellow and pure taste. Comparative analysis revealed that the content of amino acids and carbohydrates in hawk black tea was significantly higher than that in hawk white tea, while the content of flavonoids and organic acids was relatively lower. Quality composition results indicated significant differences in the 13 major quality components and water extracts between the two hawk teas, aligning with the quantitative descriptive analysis results. Additionally, through weighted gene coexpression network analysis, significant associations were found between 671 metabolites across 155 metabolic pathways and 9 taste characteristics. Among them, flavonoid biosynthesis and degradation are the main metabolic pathways of the two types of hawk tea. And it was found that butin, phlorizin, naringin, dihydrokaempferol, sakuranetin, apigenin, (−)-epicatechin, (+)-gallocatechin, caffeoyl shikimic acid, homoeriodictyol, which are 10 flavonoids, are the key metabolites affecting the taste difference of hawk black and white tea. Additionally, this study found that hawk tea does not contain caffeine, which is of great significance for the development of caffeine-free beverages in the future.

Metabolite Profiles and Biological Activities of Different Phenotypes of Beech Mushrooms (Hypsizygus marmoreus).

Beech mushrooms (Hypsizygus marmoreus) are edible mushrooms commercially used in South Korea. They can be classified into white and brown according to their pigmentation. This study analyzed the metabolites and biological activities of these mushrooms. Specifically, 42 metabolites (37 volatiles, two phenolics, and three carbohydrates) were quantified in white beech mushrooms, and 47 (42 volatiles, two phenolics, and three carbohydrates) were detected in brown mushrooms. The major volatiles detected were hexanal, pentanal, 1-hexanol, and 1-pentanol. Brown mushrooms contained higher levels of hexanal (64%) than white mushrooms (35%), whereas white mushrooms had higher levels of pentanal (11%) and 1-pentanol (3%). Most volatiles were more abundant in white mushrooms than in brown mushrooms. Furthermore, brown beech mushrooms had a higher phenolic content than white mushrooms. Biological assays revealed that both types of mushroom demonstrated anti-microbial activities against bacterial and yeast pathogens and weak DPPH scavenging activity. The extracts from both mushrooms (50 μg/mL) also exhibited strong anti-inflammatory properties. Brown mushroom extracts showed higher antioxidant, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory properties than white mushroom extracts. This study reported that the differences in phenotype, taste, and odor were consistent with the metabolite differences between white and brown beech mushrooms, which have high nutritional and biofunctional values.

Relationship with Nut Consumption for Breakfast and Postprandial Glucose, Insulin, Triglyceride Responses: A Preliminary Study from Türkiye.

This study aimed to determine the effect of adding nuts to a regular breakfast on blood glucose, insulin, and triglyceride levels, and to evaluate participants' opinions by sex as a preliminary study for future studies. Data and biochemical parameters were collected through face-to-face interviews with Acibadem Hospital employees (n = 12) between April and September 2023. Participants consumed 30 g of nut-supplemented breakfasts for 4 weeks while maintaining their regular lifestyle. Blood tests and visual analog scale (VAS) parameters were assessed on intervention days. VAS scores indicated differences in meal taste, post-breakfast well-being, satiety, and meal adequacy, and for "feeling better after breakfast", and "providing better satiety", were significantly higher for the nut-supplemented breakfasts (p < 0.05), especially walnut-supplemented. Under the control of age, sex, and BMI variables in the participants, women responded better to peanut butter consumption than men in terms of blood insulin and triglyceride regulation (p < 0.05). However, triglyceride regulation in men was better managed by walnut consumption than in women. Understanding how nut-supplemented breakfasts impact blood glucose, insulin, and triglyceride levels, as well as consumer perceptions, is crucial for promoting healthier dietary choices.

Gender differences in taste and foods habits

Gender differences in taste and foods habits

Dry-Cured Sausages “Salchichón” Manufactured with a Valorized Ingredient from Red Grape Pomace (Var. Tempranillo)

The inclusion of an ingredient made from red grape pomace (RGP) var. Tempranillo was evaluated for the preservation of a traditional dry-cured sausages (salchichón). The pomace was valorized through thermal blanching (103 °C for 1 min) and hydrostatic high-pressure treatment (600 MPa/5 min) before the addition to salchichón. Four formulations of salchichón were evaluated, including a negative control (NC—without red grape pomace or synthetic additives), positive control (PC—with ascorbic acid and nitrites), low level (LL—0.5%), and high level (HL—1%) of RGP. Physicochemical, microbiological, and sensorial effects were analyzed. RGP reduced the final pH of salchichón and favored the growth of lactic acid bacteria at similar levels as PC. The addition of ascorbic acid and nitrites resulted in a final product with a redder and less yellow color than the other formulations. This cured color was not reached with the addition of RGP. However, its inclusion slightly reduced lipid and protein oxidation in salchichón. PC showed high levels of sulfur and terpene levels in a volatile profile, although at a sensory level, only differences in spicy taste were not noticed by panelists. The incorporation of the ingredient could enable the substitution of nitrites with valorized red grape pomace in sausages, although the desirable color achieved with nitrifying salts was not fully attained.

Nutritional and Organoleptic Value in the Formula Enteral of Growol and Germinated Mung Bean Flour as an Alternative Enteral Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by increased blood glucose. Nutritional support rich in dietary fiber and high protein can stimulate insulin secretion, thereby inhibiting increased blood glucose. Enteral of Growol-Germinated Mung Bean Flour (ENGROCAJO) is a formula developed from growol flour and germinated mung bean flour. It contains high dietary fiber with protein and is an alternative nutritional therapy for people with T2DM. Hospital Diabetes Mellitus (DM) enteral formula administered to patients is limited to dietary fiber. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the nutritional value and organoleptic value of the ENGROCAJO formula and compare it with the hospital DM enteral formula. Methods: This was an observational laboratory study developed an enteral formula from growol and germinated mung bean flour. It analyzed the nutritional value using proximate and dietary fiber analysis. The organoleptic assessment utilized a hedonic test with 20 participants. The nutritional and organoleptic contents were compared with hospital DM enteral formula. The difference test between formulas was tested using Kruskal-Wallis with a significant value of p&lt;0.05. Results: The nutritional content in 100 g of ENGROCAJO formula and hospital DM enteral formula includes energy of 386.86 and 329.49 kcal, protein of 41.38% and 20.43%, fat of 2.78% and 8.88%, carbohydrate of 49.08% and 38.55% with dietary fiber of 22.43% and 3.62%. Organoleptic assessment of aroma, color, flavor, and thickness showed that the ENGROCAJO formula had higher quality than the hospital DM enteral formula. However, the flavor aspect showed significant difference (p=0.038). Conclusions: ENGROCAJO formula contains higher protein and dietary fiber compared to the hospital DM enteral formula. There was a significant difference in the organoleptic taste between the ENGROCAJO formula and the hospital DM enteral formula.

Impact of temporomandibular disorder on food preference behavior in adult male rats

ObjectiveTemporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a group of conditions affecting the jaw, surrounding muscles and associated structures. Researches indicate that TMD has implications for changes in nutritional behavior. This study investigates the impact of TMD on the food preference behavior of rats, examining various food models with differing caloric content, taste, and texture. DesignForty-two male Wistar rats (200–250 g) were divided into six groups, comprising three control and three pain or TMD groups. Induction of TMD by injection of complete Freund adjuvant (CFA) into the left temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of rat serves as a model for studying TMD. Twenty-four hours post-TMD induction, the preference of animals to foods with differences in calories, taste and texture was evaluated with the help of an automatic preference measuring device. ResultsIn terms of caloric preferences, the pain group exhibited a distinct shift towards high-calorie food. Taste preferences were marked by an increased preference for sweet food in the pain group. Texture preferences were altered, with the pain group displaying a preference for low-texture food. ConclusionTMD in rats leads to increased preferences for high-calorie and sweet foods, as well as altered preferences for food textures. These findings highlight the influence of TMJ pain on food preference behavior in rats.

Differences in taste and material basis of soybean and defatted soybean fermented soy sauces and influence factors

Soybean and defatted soybean have been widely used as protein materials in soy sauce fermentation. Defatted soybean is welcomed by the industry for lower costs and higher level of protein. It has been revealed that defatted soybean fermented soy sauce (SS-DS) has a less appealing flavor than whole soybean fermented soy sauce (SS-HS). But the taste differences in molecular basis between the two remain unexplored. In this study, quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) demonstrated SS-HS had a more harmonious and palatable taste, while SS-DS exhibit a more bitter taste. 9 organic acids, 15 sugars and sugar alcohols, 17 amino acids, 31 peptides and 12 Amadori compounds in soy sauce were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer combined with derivatization (Der-GC-MS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Sixteen compounds with taste active value (TAV) higher than 1 were identified as key substances. Further, it was found that lipid composition played an important role in taste difference between SS-HS and SS-DS, especially phospholipids. This paper determined the taste difference basis between SS-HS and SS-DS, and clarified the role of lipids in formation of these differences, which provided a theoretical reference for the flavor regulation in soy sauce industry.

Comprehensive investigation on the flavor difference in five types of tea from JMD (Camellia sinensis 'Jinmudan').

Jinmudan (JMD) is a high-aroma variety widely cultivated in China. The current study primarily focuses on the key volatile metabolites in JMD black and oolong teas,and investigates the impact of processing technologies on the aroma quality of JMD tea. However, few studies have explored the suitabilityof JMD for producing a certain type of tea or the characteristic quality differences among various JMD teas using multivariate statistical analysis methods. The principal volatile metabolites contributing to the floral quality of JMD tea are linalool, geraniol, indole and phenethyl alcohol. In JMD black tea (BT), the key volatile metabolites include methyl salicylate, geraniol, (E)-β-ocimene and phenethyl alcohol. In JMD oolong tea (OT), the key volatile metabolites include indole, linalyl valerate and phenethyl alcohol. In JMD yellow tea (YT), the key volatile metabolites include methyl salicylate, geraniol and terpinolene. In JMD white tea (WT), the key volatile metabolites include methyl salicylate, geraniol and terpinolene. In JMD green tea (GT), the key volatile metabolites include (E)-β-ocimene, indole and geraniol. Comparative analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that flavonoid biosynthesis is the primary metabolic pathway responsible for the taste differences among various tea types. GT exhibited higher levels of phloretin, dihydromyricetin and galangin. The contents of vitexin, tricetin in YT were relatively higher. The contents of aromadendrin and naringenin in BT were higher, while OT contained higher levels of kaempferol. Additionally, WT showed higher contents of 3-O-acetylpinobanksin and 3,5,7-pinobanksin. This study explained the reasons for the quality differences of different JMD tea and provided a reliable theoretical basis for the adaptability of JMD tea. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

From vineyard to glass: Measuring consumers’ willingness to pay for innovative rootstock-produced wine through an experimental auction

Availability of new rootstocks in vineyards offers improved sustainability and adaptability to changing climatic conditions. However, the adoption of these innovations in the wine industry can be hindered by consumer perceptions and uncertainty about the intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of the new rootstock-produced wines. This study aims to address these concerns by examining consumer preferences towards M4 rootstock-produced wines through a consumer test and a willingness-to-pay assessment based on a Becker-DeGroot-Marschak auction analysis. A non-hypothetical experiment design, involving 201 wine consumers from the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions of Italy, was employed to identify differences in new patterns of wine consumption due to the information provided. Results show that consumers do not identify noticeable taste differences between wines produced with innovative and traditional rootstocks. However, when informed about the water-saving benefits, their willingness to pay for wines made with the innovative rootstock is 5% higher than for wines using traditional rootstocks. This additional willingness to pay becomes statistically insignificant after tasting the wine. The introduction of the M4 rootstock among vine growers appears to be an effective solution in meeting consumer demand for high-quality products made with environmentally-friendly methods that conserve scarce resources, such as water. The findings of this study contribute to the ongoing debate on the development of sustainable and economically viable viticultural practices that address the challenges posed by climate change.

P172 WHAT ARE CONSUMERS’ KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND BEHAVIORS RELATED TO REDUCED-SODIUM SALT? A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Background and objective: Despite compelling evidence of the efficacy of reduced-sodium salt in lowering blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk, it is currently an underutilized intervention. To inform the approaches needed to scale-up use of reduced-sodium salt, it is important to understand how it is perceived by consumers. This study systematically assessed consumers’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors relating to reduced-sodium salt. Methods: PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) plus, Cochrane Central Register for Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Google Scholar (all years to 8 February 2024) were systematically searched to identify studies reporting quantitative or qualitative outcome measures of knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors related to reduced-sodium salt. Reduced-sodium salt was salt where all or a proportion of sodium chloride is replaced with a non-sodium component. The population of interest included consumers, healthcare professionals and chefs. Results: Twenty-eight studies from 11 countries were included. 17 were evaluations following a reduced-sodium salt intervention and 11 were descriptive studies of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in the general population. Intervention studies in China identified high overall acceptability, with medium-to-long-term continued use, ranging from 65 to 83% of participants despite about half reporting adverse taste differences. Rates of reduced-sodium salt use were lower among the general population groups studied (ranging from 10-16%) where interventions such as education and cost subsidization were not used. Descriptive studies without a reduced-sodium salt intervention found lower knowledge and awareness among consumers compared to healthcare professionals. Conclusions: Differences in taste were detectable by many but did not appear to affect overall acceptability of reduced-sodium salts. Increased awareness and knowledge about reduced-sodium salt, particularly among the general population, will be key to scaling the use of reduced-sodium salts.

Identification of millet origin using terahertz spectroscopy combined with ensemble learning

It’s crucial for both producers and consumers to accurately trace the origin of millet, given the significant differences in price and taste that exist between millets from various origins. The traditional method of identifying the origin of millet is time-consuming, laborious, complex, and destructive. In this study, a new method for fast and non-destructive differentiation of millet origins is developed by combining terahertz time domain spectroscopy with ensemble learning. Firstly, three machine learning algorithms, namely support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and kernel extreme learning machine (KELM), were used to build different discriminative models, and then the impact of six different preprocessing methods on the models’ classification performance was compared. It was observed that models employing Savitzky-Golay preprocessing exhibited pronounced superiority in accurately determining the millet’s geographical origins. Building upon these findings, the research introduces an innovative ensemble learning strategy, leveraging both topsis and stacking techniques, to harness the collective strengths of the three algorithms. The outcomes of this approach reveal its remarkable capacity to distinguish millets originating from five distinct locations without the necessity for any parameter fine-tuning. The accuracy, F1 score, and Kappa on the prediction set are all 100 %, which significantly outperforms the single model, traditional voting method, and stacking method. The culmination of this study suggests that the integration of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and TOPSIS-Stacking ensemble learning emerges as a promising method for the swift and non-intrusive discrimination of millet geographical origins with remarkable precision.

Voluntary nicotine consumption and reward in a subset of diversity outbred founder strains.

Nicotine is largely responsible for the initiation and maintenance of tobacco dependence and contributes to a global health problem. This study characterizes nicotine oral consumption and preference in male and female mice of several Diversity Outbred (DO) founder strains: C57BL/6J, A/J, 129S1/SvImJ, PWK/PhJ, NOD/ShiLtJ, and CAST/EiJ. It assesses the impact of nicotine concentration on intake and preference, the potential interaction of strain with sex, and estimates the degree of heritable variation in nicotine consumption. Two-bottle choice oral self-administration paradigm was used to assess nicotine intake, nicotine preference, and total fluid intake in male and female mice of each strain in a concentration-response manner. A conditioned place preference (CPP) test was performed to evaluate the rewarding and aversive effects of nicotine in certain strains after systemic administration of the drug. The highest nicotine-consuming strain was found to be 129S1/SvlmJ, and the lowest nicotine-consuming strain was A/J. Strain differences in nicotine intake were not due to differences in bitter and sweet tastes as shown in the saccharine and quinine two-bottle choice tests. A/J strain showed no significant CPP for nicotine while the 129S1/SvImJ strain showed a significant CPP for nicotine and a higher preference when compared to the C57BL/6J strain. Heritability estimates of nicotine intake were sex dependent and concentration dependent. Data support that nicotine consumption patterns are heritable with an influence of genotype in a voluntary oral self-administration paradigm. Results pave the way for future studies with the highly recombinant DO mice that might lead to the identification of novel genetic loci and genes influencing nicotine consumption.

PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF PEANUT CURD VIA NATURAL FERMENTATION USING GREEN CHILIES (CAPSICUM ANNUM)

Plant-based fermented milk alternatives, derived from seeds, nuts, or milk analogs, are gaining popularity due to sustainability, health consciousness, and dietary preferences. Increasing allergies and lactose intolerance associated with animal-based milk contribute to the shift towards non-dairy alternatives, fueling innovation in new products from nuts, seeds, or beans. Fermented options, such as peanut curd, are particularly favored by those managing lactose intolerance. Peanut milk and its fermented derivative, peanut curd, were prepared using methods including curdling with green chilies, cow curd, and buffalo curd. Titratable acidity analysis revealed variations, with the cow curd-inoculated sample exhibiting higher acidity at 4.52 g/L. pH dynamics during fermentation illustrated a gradual decrease, with the chili-fermented peanut curd showing a pH drop from 6 to 3.5. Colony Forming Unit values increased over fermentation, with cow curd inoculum rising from 7.36×10^6 to 11.52×10^6 CFU/ml. Antibacterial activity varied, with cow curd-inoculated peanut curd displaying superior efficacy, particularly against Shigella, showing a 13mm inhibition zone. Antioxidant activity was notable, with chili-fermented peanut curd showing the highest RSA at 80.7%. Sensory analysis highlighted differences in taste, flavor, and texture, with chili-fermented curd scoring highest in overall acceptance. These findings contribute to understanding the chemical and microbial transformations in peanut curd, showcasing its potential as a functional and diverse plant-based product.

Sensory and Nutritional Evaluation of Fermented and Unfermented Beetroot-ginger- garlic Beverages

The study was carried out to produce beetroot-ginger-garlic drink. The drink was produced with the mixture of beetroot, ginger and garlic at the ratio of 4:2:1 respectively. Two different drinks were produced, one was fermented for 24 hrs while the other unfermented, was soaked in water for 2hrs. The fermented and unfermented drinks were divided into two and poured into four separate 75 cl containers. Sugar (4 g) was added into one fermented and one of unfermented 75 cl containers while no sugar was added to the others. Bacteriological examination, proximate analysis, and micronutrient content were determined. Sensory evaluation was carried out using hedonic rating test. The results obtained were analyzed statistically using degree of freedom. Isolated organisms from the drinks was Lactobacillus sp. which was only isolated from fermented beet root ginger- garlic beverage. Proximate analysis showed very minimal variations in moisture, ash, fiber, protein, fat, and carbohydrate content between fermented and unfermented drinks. Micronutrient content showed significant differences in selenium, calcium, zinc, copper, iron, magnesium, sodium, lead, cadmium, and potassium. Sensory evaluation showed significant differences in taste, mouth feel, flavor, and overall acceptability. The sensory showed that fermented beetroot-ginger-garlic drink with sweetener have highest overall acceptability (5.67±0.58) followed by fermented beetroot-ginger-garlic beverage without sweetener (5.33±0.58) and unfermented beetroot-ginger-garlic beverage without sweetener (2.33±0.58) have the least overall acceptability. Fermented and unfermented beetroot-ginger- garlic drinks have potential nutritional benefits and acceptable sensory properties. This study provides insights into the production and evaluation of functional beverages from beetroot-ginger-garlic and the beverage is better fermented before drinking.

The multi-modal sensory effect on sour taste perception during oral processing of starch-thickened fluids

Sour taste is one of the fundamental taste attributes and considered as a saliva secretion stimulant facilitating consumers with xerostomia and swallowing difficulties. The dynamic sour taste perception during oral processing of starch-thickened fluid was therefore investigated in this study. Recruited healthy subjects were divided into those with high (H_AMS) and low (L_AMS) salivary α-amylase activity groups and their temporal dominant sensory evaluation were analyzed while oral processing starch-thickened fluid samples with different concentration of citric acid. By simultaneously evaluating the physical and chemical properties of subjects' expectorated fluid/saliva mixtures, the complex and multi-modal interplay between fluid viscosity (tactile perception), citric acid concentration (taste perception), salivary α-amylase activity (binary taste interaction) was successfully demonstrated. The sour taste perception was found to be greatly affected by the continuous starch-thickened fluid hydrolysis by salivary α-amylase, resulting in a gradual production of sweet-tasting oligosaccharides and simultaneous decrease in fluid viscosity, and group variations (H_AMS vs. L_AMS) were pronouncedly observed in the hydrolyzed oligosaccharide concentrations (glucose, maltose, and maltotriose) which suitably corresponded to the selected dominant sensory attributes including perceived taste differences and taste dominant duration. These findings suggest that salivary biochemical properties and the thickened fluid type greatly influence consumers’ sensory perception. This could provide valuable insights for designing and optimizing thickened foods and beverages that are palatable in sensory properties and meet the needs of special consumers.

Taste Sensor Assessment of Bitterness in Medicines: Overview and Recent Topics.

In recent decades, taste sensors have been increasingly utilized to assess the taste of oral medicines, particularly focusing on bitterness, a major obstacle to patient acceptance and adherence. This objective and safe method holds promise for enhancing the development of patient-friendly medicines in pharmaceutical companies. This review article introduces its application in measuring the intensity of bitterness in medicine, confirming the achievement of taste masking, distinguishing taste differences between branded and generic medicines, and identifying substances to suppress bitterness in target medicines. Another application of the sensor is to predict a significant increase in bitterness when medicine is taken with certain foods/beverages or concomitant medication. Additionally, to verify the sensor's predictability, a significant correlation has been demonstrated between the output of a bitter-sensitive sensor designed for drug bitterness (BT0) and the bitterness responses of the human taste receptor hT2R14 from BitterDB (huji.ac.il). As a recent advancement, a novel taste sensor equipped with lipid/polymer membranes modified by 3-Br-2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,6-DHBA), based on the concept of allostery, is introduced. This sensor successfully predicts the bitterness of non-charged pharmaceuticals with xanthine skeletons, such as caffeine or related compounds. Finally, the future prospects of taste sensors are discussed.