Sweetness Intensity Research Articles

Risk assessment related to food additives and food processing-derived chemical contaminants exposure for the Portuguese population.

The European Food Risk Assessment Fellowship Programme (EU‐FORA) is an initiative by EFSA, aimed at building scientific capacity in food safety risk assessment in the EU. Current paper reports on the activities of this fellow, undertaken in participation of the third, 2019–2020 cycle of the EU‐FORA programme while placed at the University of Porto, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, in Portugal. The work programme offered by the hosting site was related to risk assessment on food additives and contaminants. The fellow's hands‐on work consisted of two practical exercises, which aimed to assess the exposure to the 10 intense sweeteners authorised in the EU and a process contaminant, acrylamide, for the Portuguese general population.

Technology for Manufacture of Dietetic Functional Basundi

Dietetic functional Basundi was manufactured by employing low fat milk (1.5 per cent) with WPC and blend of stabilizer as fat replacer; Sucrose was replaced with intense sweetener sucralose and the bulk of sucrose was replaced with different combination of blend of polydextrose, maltodextrin and sorbitol as bulking ingredients. Replacement of sucrose with intense sweetener and combination of bulking ingredients did not affect compositional and physico-chemical attributes however a non-significant rise in 5’HMF content was observed with increase in ploydextrose content in the bulking ingredients’ blend. Viscosity followed the similar trend that was noted for 5’HMF. In sensory attributes body and texture and flavour score had significant impact of replacement of sucrose. Polydextrose in the blend when increased to more than 9.0 percent, it increased the body and texture and flavour score significantly, however such increase was non-significant for body and texture score, while flavour score decreased non-significantly. Overall acceptability score followed the similar trend observed for body and texture score. Polydextrose: Maltodextrin: Sorbitol in the proportion of 12:01:03 was considered best because of creamier body with polydextrose and sorbitol being more laxative at increased proportions.

Short-Term Follow-Up of Self-Isolated COVID-19 Patients with Smell and Taste Dysfunction in Greece: Two Phenotypes of Recovery

Introduction: The course of anosmia and ageusia in COVID-19 patients is not yet clearly known. We present short-term follow-up data concerning mild to moderate disease in home-quarantined COVID-19 patients in Greece. Methods: We provided a symptom questionnaire and instructions for a self-administered home smell-and-taste test to 79 positive COVID-19 patients from 2 tertiary hospitals in Greece. The patients recorded their subjective symptoms before and during infection as well as 4 weeks after the diagnosis. The patients also underwent the home test during infection and 4 weeks later. Results: Twenty-nine patients (36.7%) reported a loss of smell, and 21 (27.8%) reported a loss of taste, with equal prevalences between genders. We observed 2 types of recovery, i.e., a rapid, almost complete recovery, and a second slower and partial recovery. The type of recovery was not age related. A rapid recovery was observed in two thirds of the patients, with their olfactory ratings presenting a trend towards significance in correlation with nasal obstruction. A slow recovery in olfaction was correlated with low intensity ratings in odors with a trigeminal compound. The loss of taste was more pronounced in sweet and salty intensity ratings. Conclusion: Chemosensory deficits associated with COVID-19 infection were quite frequent among the Greek patients with mild or moderate disease who, in most cases, returned to normal within 4 weeks. However, 1 in 3 patients presented with persistent olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in the short term.

Virtual reality environments on the sensory acceptability and emotional responses of no- and full-sugar chocolate

Eating is a multimodal sensory experience affected contextual situations. A limitation with traditional consumer testing is that isolated booth environments lack ecological validity and consumer's engagement in forming perceptions. Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging method to simulate different environmental contexts. The acceptability and emotional responses of full- and no-sugar chocolate determined in sensory booths and under two VR environments (headsets) were evaluated. Untrained participants (N = 50) tasted two chocolates (FS = full-sugar and NS = no-sugar, maltitol) under three environments: (1) traditional-booths, (2) positive-VR [aesthetically open-field forest], and (3) negative-VR [closed-space old room] in a 3 × 2 randomized-factorial-design. Participants rated the acceptability of sweetness, bitterness, texture, mouth-coating, aftertaste, and overall liking (9-point scale). The intensities of sweetness, bitterness, and hardness (15-cm line-scale) were assessed. Chocolate type and VR did not affect the liking of attributes (5.4–6.8). However, FS samples had higher sweetness intensity than NS samples for positive-VR (10.8 vs. 9.1). NS samples under positive-VR were associated with overall liking. The NS and FS samples under positive-VR were associated with “energetic” and “happy”; however, under traditional booths were related to “good”, and “calm”. “Bored” and “guilty” were associated with NS samples under negative-VR. VR can be used to understand the contextual effects on consumers' perceptions.

Taste Interactions between Sweetness of Sucrose and Sourness of Citric and Tartaric Acid among Chinese and Danish Consumers.

Tastes interact in almost every consumed food or beverage, yet many aspects of interactions, such as sweet-sour interactions, are not well understood. This study investigated the interaction between sweetness from sucrose and sourness from citric and tartaric acid, respectively. A cross-cultural consumer study was conducted in China (n = 120) and Denmark (n = 139), respectively. Participants evaluated six aqueous samples with no addition (control), sucrose, citric acid, tartaric acid, or a mixture of sucrose and citric acid or sucrose and tartaric acid. No significant difference was found between citric acid and tartaric acid in the suppression of sweetness intensity ratings of sucrose. Further, sucrose suppressed sourness intensity ratings of citric acid and tartaric acid similarly. Culture did not impact the suppression of sweetness intensity ratings of citric or tartaric acid, whereas it did influence sourness intensity ratings. While the Danish consumers showed similar suppression of sourness by both acids, the Chinese consumers were more susceptible towards the sourness suppression caused by sucrose in the tartaric acid-sucrose mixture compared to the citric acid-sucrose mixture. Agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis revealed clusters of consumers with significant differences in sweetness intensity ratings and sourness intensity ratings. These results indicate that individual differences in taste perception might affect perception of sweet-sour taste interactions, at least in aqueous solutions.

Development of screening methods for functional characterization of UGTs from Stevia rebaudiana

Glycosylation is a key modification that contributes to determine bioactivity and bioavailability of plant natural products, including that of terpenoids and steviol glycosides (SVglys). It is mediated by uridine-diphosphate glycosyltransferases (UGTs), that achieve their activity by transferring sugars on small molecules. Thus, the diversity of SVglys is due to the number, the position and the nature of glycosylations on the hydroxyl groups in C-13 and C-19 of steviol. Despite the intense sweetener property of SVglys and the numerous studies conducted, the SVglys biosynthetic pathway remains largely unknown. More than 60 SVglys and 68 putative UGTs have been identified in Stevia rebaudiana. This study aims to provide methods to characterize UGTs putatively involved in SVglys biosynthesis. After agroinfiltration-based transient gene expression in Nicotiana benthamiana, functionality of the recombinant UGT can be tested simply and directly in plants expressing it or from a crude extract. The combined use of binary vectors from pGWBs series to produce expression vectors containing the stevia's UGT, enables functionality testing with many substrates as well as other applications for further analysis, including subcellular localization.

Using tactile stimuli to enhance sweet perception in iced tea samples

AbstractThe perception and acceptance of food can be influenced by multiple factors, including the sensations generated by the contact with the food surface or its packaging. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the texture of the cups held when drinking an iced tea sample would have an influence on the perception of its sweetness intensity. Participants tasted four iced tea samples in disposable plastic cups which surface had been modified to elicit different basic tastes, and were asked to rank the drinks depending on their sweetness intensity. Results showed that the texture of the container influenced participants' ranking, and the sweetness perception of the tea could be increased through the cup's surface.Practical ApplicationsResults of the present study are useful mainly for the packaging industry, providing information that verifies the idea that some materials could help increase the acceptance of reformulated products (e.g., beverages with a reduction in the sugar content). In general, the results obtained in the study show a strategy for food reformulation, giving a greater importance on the haptic cues of foods, packaging, and cutlery.

Effect of Physical Exercise on Taste Perceptions: A Systematic Review.

The effect of physical exercise on nutrition has gained substantial interest in the last decade. Meaningful results have been produced concerning the effect of physical exercise on different appetite hormones and food choice/preference. While it is well known that taste and nutrition are related, the relation between taste and physical activity has not yet been fully explored. This systematic review aims to provide a detailed view of the literature on physical exercise and its effect on taste perceptions. Five tastes were included in this review: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. Sweet taste intensity, sensitivity, and preference were increased by acute physical exercise, but sweet preference was reduced by chronic physical activity. Perceived intensity and sensitivity decreased overall for salty taste, but an increased preference was noted during/following exercise. Sour taste intensity ratings were decreased following exercise and preference was enhanced. Umami taste intensity and sensitivity increased following exercise and preference was decreased. No significant results were obtained for bitter taste. While evidence regarding the effect of exercise on taste has arisen from this review, the pre-testing nutrition, testing conditions, type of test, and exercise modality must be standardized in order to produce meaningful and reproducible results in the future.

Behavioral Disassociation of Perceived Sweet Taste Intensity and Hedonically Positive Palatability.

The intensity of sucrose (its perceived concentration) and its palatability (positive hedonic valence associated with ingestion) are two taste attributes that increase its attractiveness and overconsumption. Although both sensory attributes covary, in that increases in sucrose concentration leads to similar increases in its palatability, this covariation does not imply that they are part of the same process or whether they represent separate processes. Both these possibilities are considered in the literature. For this reason, we tested whether sucrose’s perceived intensity could be separated from its hedonically positive palatability. To address this issue, rats were trained in a sucrose intensity task to report the perceived intensity of a range of sucrose concentrations before and after its palatability was changed using a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) protocol. We found that the subjects’ performance remained essentially unchanged, although its palatability was changed from hedonically positive to negative. Overall, these data demonstrate that sucrose’s perceived intensity and its positive palatability can be dissociated, meaning that changes of one taste attribute render the other mostly unaffected. Thus, the intensity attribute is sufficient to inform the perceptual judgments of sucrose’s concentrations.

Differences in consumption of sugar and sweeteners in two neighbor countries: Lithuania and Poland

Abstract Background In connection with attempts to reduce consumption of added sugar, consumption of non-nutritive (or low caloric) sweeteners (NNS) is likely to increse in many countries. In addition to variety of NNS, limited evidence on public health effects related to NNS exist. Thus, it remains important to monitor consumption of added sugar and sweeteners in our societies. As Lithuania and Poland are neighbor countries with similar culture and nutritional habits, the objective of this study was to compare consumption of sweeteners among adults in Lithuania and Poland. Methods A representative sample of Lithuanian population of adults aged 18 to 75 years was formed. A total number of 1008 residents from Lithuania participated. Distribution of them by answers about consumption of added sugar and sweeteners was assessed with respect to results of the survey conducted in central part of Poland where a group of 2000 adult respondents was investigated. Results Majority of respondents in both countries declared consumption of added sugar: 79.3% and 87.4% of Lithuanian and Polish respondents, respectively (p-value less than 0.05). Apart from sugar, majority of the respondents in Lithuania declared consumption of honey or fructose (respectively, 78.1% and 43.4%), consumption of other sweeteners such as saccharin, stevia, corn syrup, aspartame and sucralose were less prevalent (respectively, 30.9%, 18.2%, 9.5%, 9.0%, 3.4%). In Poland, 41.8% of respondents declared consumption of products containing stevia. Distribution of Poles by answers to the question which sweetener they used most often was 26.6%, 23.6%, 15.6%, 12.3% for stevia, xylitol, aspartame and fructose, respectively. Honey, acesulfame K, thaumatin and other substances were used by a lower percentage of Polish respondents. Conclusions Despite cultural similarities consumption of added sugar and sweeteners among adults differed significantly in two neighbor counties: Lithuania and Poland. Key messages In comparison to Lithuania, consumption of added sugar, xylitol and natural non-nutritive but intense sweetener stevia was more prevalent in Poland. In comparison to Poland, consumption of added sugar was less prevalent, but non-intense and high in calories sweeteners were more prevalent in Lithuania.

Optimization of Sugar Reduction in the Formulation of Set-type Yogurt Using Pure Lactic Acid Bacterial Culture

Background: Reducing the sugar content of processed products has been claimed to be one of the most efficient strategies for decreasing sugar intake. To investigate what level of sugar reduction is accepted in set-type yogurt, we conducted a hedonic test focusing on the sensory attributes and assessed the nutritional quality of the yogurt. Methods: We prepared a total of 12 set-type yogurt samples using four sugar concentrations (viz. 0, 4, 5 and 12%). The starter culture was used as a 1:1 ratio mixture of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. The sensorial, chemical and microbiological analyses were performed. Result: From the investigation, yogurt containing at least 4 and 5% added sugar was found acceptable based on overall sensory score. On the hedonic scale, yogurt containing 12% sugar was more often described as too sweet compared with yogurt containing 4 and/or 5% sugar. On the other hand, the sweetness and aroma intensity for yogurt containing 0% sugar was judged as too low. The 4 and 5% added sugar yogurt was recorded highest with protein content 4.35 and 4.53%, respectively. The initial total viable count (TVC) of the yogurt made was found highest in 4 and 5% sugar yogurt each with » 5 log10 cfu/mL. These results indicate that consumers would accept set-type yogurts with 4 to 5% added sugar instead of 12 to 15%, but 0 to 3% sugar would be too low.

Castanea spp. Agrobiodiversity Conservation: Genotype Influence on Chemical and Sensorial Traits of Cultivars Grown on the Same Clonal Rootstock.

A large species diversity characterises the wide distribution of chestnuts in Asia, North America, and Europe, hence reflecting not only the adaptation of the genus Castanea to diverse environmental conditions, but also to different management strategies encompassing orchards. The characterisation and description of chestnut populations and cultivars are crucial to develop effective conservation strategies of one of the most important Italian and European fruit and wood species. Chestnut cultivars grown in the same pedoclimatic conditions and on the same clonal rootstock were characterised with sensory, spectrophotometric, and chromatographic analysis to determine the phytochemical composition and nutraceutical properties. A multivariate approach, including principal component analysis and conditional inference tree models, was also performed. The ease of peeling, seed colour, and intensity of sweetness were the sensory descriptors that allowed us to differentiate C. sativa cultivars. Antioxidant capacity ranged from 9.30 ± 0.39 mmol Fe+2 kg−1 DW (‘Bouche de Bètizac’) to 19.96 ± 1.89 mmol Fe+2 kg−1 DW (‘Garrone Rosso’). Monoterpenes represented the main component, reaching 88% for hybrids, followed by polyphenols (10–25% for hybrids and chestnuts, respectively). A multivariate approach showed that phenolic acids and tannins were the bioactive classes with the highest discriminating power among different genotypes, and that genotype is a significant variable (p < 0.05). In addition, most of the analysed chestnut cultivars showed a content of bioactive compounds similar to or higher than the main hazelnut, walnut, and almond varieties. Chestnut agrobiodiversity could be intended as strictly associated to the genotype effect and underlines the large variability within the genus Castanea, and therefore, the importance of in farm and ex situ conservation of local germplasm is part of a global strategy aimed at increasing the levels of agrobiodiversity.

Risk Assessments of Aspartame, Acesulfame K, Sucralose and Benzoic Acid from Soft Drinks, “Saft”, Nectar and Flavoured Water

The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (Vitenskapskomiteen for mattrygghet, VKM), Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids, Materials in Contact with Food and Cosmetics, has at the request of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet) conducted a risk assessment of the intense sweeteners aspartame, acesulfame K and sucralose and the preservative benzoic acid from soft drinks, “saft”, nectar and flavoured water. The risk assessment includes exposure assessments and the calculated exposures are compared to the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the respective sweeteners and benzoic acid. VKM was also requested to compare the current calculated intake of aspartame, acesulfame K and benzoic acid to the calculated intake reported by VKM in 2007 (from the VKM report «Impact on health when sugar is replaced with intense sweeteners in soft drinks, «saft» and nectar») (VKM, 2007).&#x0D; Exposure calculations were made for four different scenarios with varying concentrations of added sweeteners (either the average concentration or the highest reported concentration for the respective sweetener) and varying consumption of beverages with sweeteners (either the actual reported consumption of beverages added sweetener or the assumption that all reported beverages were added sweeteners). Scenario 1 gives the best estimate of the current situation in the population (average content of sweeteners/benzoic acid, actual reported consumption), scenarios 2-4 is based on one or both of the following assumptions: only beverages added sweeteners are consumed, the beverages consumed are added the highest reported value of the sweeteners (scenario 2: average content of sweeteners/benzoic acid, all consumed beverages contain sweeteners; scenario 3: highest reported content of sweeteners/benzoic acid, actual reported consumption; scenario 4: highest reported content of sweeteners/benzoic acid, all consumed beverages contain sweeteners).&#x0D; &#x0D; In the current risk assessment, the intake of sweeteners and benzoic acid for two-year-old children and 18-70 year old men and women were calculated. Due to lack of new dietary surveys, the other age groups of children and adolescents were excluded. The estimated intake of aspartame, acesulfame K and sucralose was below the ADI for all age groups, both for mean and high consumers in all scenarios. When it comes to benzoic acid, the calculated mean and high intake for adults was below the ADI in all scenarios. The mean intake for 2year-olds was below ADI in all scenarios, as was the intake for high consumers among the 2year-olds in scenarios 1 and 2. However, high consumers among the two-year-old children in scenario 3 and 4 reached the ADI.&#x0D; Due to differences in the way the calculations were done in the current opinion and in 2007, it was not possible to compare the current calculated intake of aspartame, acesulfame K and benzoic acid to the calculated intakes reported by VKM in 2007.&#x0D; VKM concludes that for all age groups in all scenarios the intake of sweeteners is well below the established ADI values, thus, there is no concern related to the intake of the sweeteners aspartame, acesulfame K or sucralose.&#x0D; VKM further concludes that the benzoic acid intake in 2-year-old-children, in scenarios 3 and 4, is of concern as it reaches ADI for high consumers of soft drinks, “saft” and flavoured water, although the ADI is not a threshold for toxicity. For the other age groups, there is no concern related to the intake of benzoic acid from beverages. However, it should be noted that a considerable intake of benzoic acid also is expected from other sources such as food and cosmetics. High consumers of soft drinks, “saft” or flavoured water in all age groups could be at risk for approaching or exceeding ADI if the exposures from foods are taken into account.&#x0D; This is especially of concern for 2-year-old children, since high consumers of soft drinks and “saft” already have reached the ADI.

Sugars and artificial sweeteners in soft drinks: A decade of evolution in Portugal

High consumption of free sugars, particularly through soft drinks, represents a health concern on a global scale. Therefore, several measures, including taxation, were tentatively employed to reduce their intake. However, the decrease of sugars in soft drinks has been occurring mostly at the expense of adding non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS).This study aimed to investigate the recent trends in soft drink reformulations by the food industries and to verify if these modifications can potentially lead to other health implications. For this purpose, the most consumed soft drinks in Portugal (N = 68) were purchased in local supermarkets in 2019 and their free sugar and NNS content were determined by liquid chromatography. The results were further compared with analytical data from 2008.For sugar drinks in 2019 (N = 10), 39% of the samples had a total sugar content near 5 g.L−1 and only a small fraction (15%) was above the upper bound limit of taxation (80 g.L−1). The profile and amount of sugars were distinct between groups with “colas” and “juice drinks” showing the highest variability between brands, being mostly represented by fructose and glucose. Non-nutritive sweeteners were present in most samples (85%), often in mixtures and very dependent on the type of drink. Nevertheless, the main NNS were cyclamate, aspartame and acesulfame K, with the former approaching the recommended daily dose for younger children consuming two cans per day.Over the last decade, sugar content has been reducing, especially in “Juice drinks”, together with a reduction of aspartame in these food products, balanced by an increase in cyclamate, sucralose and steviol glycosides. Unfortunately, the reformulations did not follow any attempt to reduce sweet taste intensity, which could gradually constitute a long-term educational measure.

Cross-modal Effect of Vanilla Aroma on Sweetness of Different Sweeteners among Chinese and Danish Consumers

Non-nutritive sweeteners often contain off-flavors, and the use of aroma to increase sweetness intensity only allows for a small reduction of the sugar content in products. Therefore, it has been suggested to combine different strategies in order to successfully reduce sugar content in foods and beverages. Additionally, the use of aroma to increase sweetness might dependent on culture. The effect of sweetener and nationality on the cross-modal effect of vanilla aroma on sweet taste intensity was therefore investigated. Three sets of sweeteners: sucrose, sucrose + tagatose, and tagatose + rebaudioside A (all iso-sweet with 2.5% sucrose) were investigated with and without vanilla aroma. Cross-modal effects were investigated with both a descriptive sensory analysis as well as consumer studies in China (n = 159) and Denmark (n = 161). Results indicated the greatest cross-modal effect of vanilla aroma on sweetness intensity of the sweeteners most perceptually similar to sucrose. In both countries, consumers rated samples with added vanilla aroma higher in sweet taste intensity than samples without added aroma. Danish consumers noted a greater increase than Chinese consumers did. Furthermore, individual differences in consumers’ sweetness ratings were observed, which could not be completely explained by the consumer characteristics recorded. Results from the present study suggest that the use of vanilla aroma in combination with non- or low-calorie sweeteners for sugar reduction can be used for at least some consumers and some sweeteners.

En Pointe: Dancers Report Their Pain Less Variably Than Do Controls

The subjective nature of pain and the lack of a gold standard for objective measurement hinders effective assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Some individuals, such as professional dancers, are better in assessing and reporting bodily sensations. This observational study aimed to assess whether dancers report their pain less variably, than other people do.After consenting, subjects completed the focused analgesia selection test (FAST), which assesses subjects’ variability of pain reports. FAST outcomes, ICC and R2 reflect the magnitude of variability of pain reports observed. In addition, subjects underwent a taste task, which similarly assesses variability of tastes (salty and sweet) intensity reports and completed the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness questionnaire.Thirty-three professional dancers and 33 healthy aged-matched controls were recruited. The dancers exhibited less variability of pain reports then controls (P = .013), but not in case of tastes-reports. Years of practice was positively correlated with pain reporting variability (r = .447, P = .009, and r = .380, P = .029; for FAST ICC and R2, respectively). Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness subscores correlated with pain reporting variability: R2 and ICC with emotional awareness (r = .260, P = .040, and r = .274, P = .030, respectively), and R2 with trusting [r = .254, P = .044]). PerspectiveThe difference between dancers and controls in the magnitude of variability of pain reports is probably due to the dancers’ extensive training, which focuses on attention to body signals. Our results suggest that training can improve subjective pain reports, which are essential for quality clinical care.

Experimental and Computational Studies of a Laccase Immobilized ZnONPs/GO-Based Electrochemical Enzymatic Biosensor for the Detection of Sucralose in Food Samples

Monitoring of high intensity artificial sweeteners in the food industry for environmental and human health has become relevant in recent years. This work exploits the electrocatalytic properties of the laccase enzyme for sensing of a high intensity sweetener sucralose experimentally and supported by computational modeling. The fabrication of the laccase biosensor was achieved using laccase immobilized onto zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) capped with p-amino thiophenol (ATP) and covalently attached to graphene oxide (GO) modified glassy carbon electrode (Lac/ZnONPs-ATP-GO/GCE). The developed biosensor exhibited an 8-fold enhancement of differential pulse voltammetry signals compared with the bare GCE at pH 5.0 in a 0.1 M phosphate buffer. The amplification of signals was due to a firm binding of laccase onto the surface of GO through high isoelectric point ZnONPs, exhibiting an enzymatic catalytic activity towards the oxidation of sucralose (SUC) at + 0.25 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Under the optimized experimental conditions, the anodic peak current linearly increased with the sucralose concentrations ranging from 0.025–0.1 mM (R2 = 0.9984) and 0.25–1.0 mM (R2 = 0.9979) with a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 0.32 μM. Furthermore, the proposed strategy was confirmed by assessing the interactions between the sucralose and the laccase using computational tools. First, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations of SUC revealed a HOMO–LUMO energy gap of − 0.2555 eV, suggesting a great tendency to act as an electron donor. Furthermore, adsorption and sucralose-laccase docking studies were carried out to better understand the redox mechanisms. These results revealed that SUC forms hydrogen bonds with ILE 230 and GLN 228 and other amino acids of the hydrophobic channel of the binding sites, thereby facilitating the redox reaction for the detection of sucralose.

Artificial sweeteners affect the glucose transport rate in the Caco-2/NCI-H716 co-culture model.

Artificial sweeteners have been used widely as substitutes for sugar for several decades. In recent years they have been reported to be harmful to human health - especially to glucose absorption. However, as conclusions from previous studies using a single Caco-2 cell model were not consistent, further studies with a more suitable cell model are needed. We established a co-culture model with enterocyte Caco-2 and enteroendocrine NCI-H716 cell lines cultured in transwell inserts. The effects of artificial sweeteners, enhancing the glucose transport rate, lasted for 60 min and then began to diminish. Most importantly, different artificial sweeteners with the same sweetness intensity had similar effects on glucose transport. The sodium / glucose co-transporter member 1 (SGLT1) mRNA expression levels increased significantly with an initial glucose concentration of 20 mM, while glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) mRNA expression significantly increased with initial glucose concentrations of 20 mM and 60 mM. Based on the Caco-2/NCI-H716 co-culture model, SGLT1 and GLUT2 mediated the enhancing effects of artificial sweeteners on glucose transport, depending on the sweetness intensity and initial glucose concentration.

The Effect of Pasteurization and Shelf Life on the Physicochemical, Microbiological, Antioxidant, and Sensory Properties of Rose Apple Cider during Cold Storage

Rose apple fruits (Syzygium agueum Alston cv. Taaptimjan) were used to produce cider to overcome their limitation of short shelf life. Following fermentation, alternative pasteurization conditions at 63 °C for 15 s and at 71 °C for 6 s were compared. The effects of pasteurization conditions on physicochemical properties, microbial safety, antioxidant capacity, and sensory properties of the cider were investigated during storage for 6 months at refrigerated temperature. The unpasteurized cider had 5.9% ethanol content with TSS of 4.1 °Brix. Alcohol content of this treatment group increased while TSS decreased during storage, as effects of continuing fermentation. Pasteurization at 63 or 71 °C effectively prolonged cider shelf life to 3 and 6 months, respectively. Nonetheless, the processing significantly decreased contents of ascorbic acid and antioxidants and affected sensory profile of the cider. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated storage time as the dominant factor determining cider quality. Trained panelists in the sensory study perceived more intense sweetness, less sourness, and less flavor in the pasteurized samples compared to the control group. The pasteurization conditions 71 °C for 6 s achieved microbiological safety and resulted in desirable sensory quality for up to 6 months of shelf life.

Fruit density: A reliable indicator of sensory quality for mango

There is constant demand from the fresh fruit sector for reliable non-destructive indicators to better predict the sensory quality of fruits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relevance of density to predict mango sensory quality at the ripening stage. Models were built from density and the day of maturation to predict physicochemical indicators of sensory quality. Density of mangoes cv. ‘Kent’ from Peru, Ivory Coast, and Brazil were assessed at the green mature stage. Sensory characteristics (sweetness, sourness, mango aroma, and firmness intensity) and physicochemical parameters (dry matter content, soluble solids content, total soluble sugar content, titratable acidity, hue angle, and firmness) were assessed on ripe mangoes after storage at 18 °C. Mangoes with a higher density had a significantly higher intensity of sweetness, mango aroma, and lower intensity of firmness than mangoes with the lower density, whatever the origin. A minimum difference in density of 0.03-0.04 g mL−1 was needed to detect significant sensory differences.Physicochemical parameters associated with sensory quality were predicted by density whatever the origin of the fruit. An increase of 0.01 g mL−1 in density respectively led to an increase of 0.5% in dry matter content, total soluble sugar content, and 0.5°Brix in soluble solid content, and a decrease in hue angle of about 2° to 2.5°. A density threshold of 1.000 g mL-1 could be applied and easily used to sort heterogeneous batches of mangoes early in the supply chain according to their sensory potential.