Taste Recognition Research Articles

Malleability of taste perception: biasing effects of rating scale format on taste recognition, product evaluation, and willingness to pay

Product-related cues, such as brand or price, can influence consumers’ taste perception. Going beyond this observation, we examine the extent to which a stimulus-extrinsic factor, such as the format of the measurement tool on which consumers describe attributes of a taste sample, influences concurrent taste perception, and in turn, later taste recognition, overall product evaluation, and willingness to pay (WTP). The results of two experiments show that rating scale format (i) influences consumers’ concurrent impression of a taste sample, (ii) systematically biases later identification of the sample in a taste recognition test, and (iii) affects overall product evaluation and WTP. However, scale format (iv) does not influence ratings and downstream judgments when consumers are highly knowledgeable in the product domain. These findings demonstrate that the experience of taste is fleeting and not well represented in memory, and that like other subjective experiences, taste needs to be reconstructed based on accessible cues.

アルツハイマー型認知症患者の味覚機能

アルツハイマー型認知症患者の味覚機能

A role of CB1R in inducing θ-rhythm coordination between the gustatory and gastrointestinal insula.

Anandamide (AEA) and N-oleoylethanolamine (OEA) are produced in the intestine and brain during fasting and satiety, respectively. Subsequently, AEA facilitates food intake via activation of cannabinoid type-1 receptors (CB1Rs) while OEA decreases food intake via activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) and/or G-protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119). Neuronal activity in the gastrointestinal region of the autonomic insula (GI-Au-I) that rostrally adjoins the gustatory insula (Gu-I) increases during fasting, enhancing appetite while umami and sweet taste sensations in Gu-I enhances appetite in GI-Au-I, strongly suggesting the presence of a neural interaction between the Gu-I and GI-Au-I which changes depending on the concentrations of AEA and OEA. However, this possibility has never been investigated. In rat slice preparations, we demonstrate with voltage-sensitive dye imaging that activation of CB1Rs by AEA induces θ-rhythm oscillatory synchronization in the Gu-I which propagates into the GI-Au-I but stops at its caudal end, displaying an oscillatory coordination. The AEA-induced oscillation was abolished by a CB1R antagonist or OEA through activation of GPR119. Our results demonstrate that the neural coordination between the Gu-I and GI-Au-I is generated or suppressed by the opposing activities between CB1R and GPR119. This mechanism may be involved in the feeding behavior based on taste recognition.

Functional effects of cold stimulation on taste perception in humans.

Thermal modulation of signaling pathways leads to excitation of taste receptor cells, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Furthermore, it has long been known that there are contrast effects in various senses. In this study, we investigated cold-taste contrast and the relationship between taste and somatosensation. We lowered intraoral temperature using cold stimulus as a pretreatment, then returned to normal temperature in 249 healthy subjects, before administering room temperature taste-stimulating solutions to investigate changes in sensitivity to the four basic tastes (Sweet, Salt, Sour, and Bitter). Statistical comparisons of taste recognition thresholds before and after cold stimulus showed increased taste sensitivity for all four basic tastes. After categorizing different levels of pre-cold stimulus taste sensitivity into groups and comparing changes in sensitivity to the four basic tastes before and after stimulus, we found that the lower the sensitivity to the four basic tastes, the greater the increase in sensitivity induced by cold stimulus. These findings suggest that taste and low temperature send afferent signals which cause interaction in the afferent pathways between the peripheral and central nervous systems. Cold stimulus may offer one possible treatment strategy for dysgeusia.

A Pair of Pharyngeal Gustatory Receptor Neurons Regulates Caffeine-Dependent Ingestion in Drosophila Larvae.

The sense of taste is an essential chemosensory modality that enables animals to identify appropriate food sources and control feeding behavior. In particular, the recognition of bitter taste prevents animals from feeding on harmful substances. Feeding is a complex behavior comprised of multiple steps, and food quality is continuously assessed. We here examined the role of pharyngeal gustatory organs in ingestion behavior. As a first step, we constructed a gustatory receptor-to-neuron map of the larval pharyngeal sense organs, and examined corresponding gustatory receptor neuron (GRN) projections in the larval brain. Out of 22 candidate bitter compounds, we found 14 bitter compounds that elicit inhibition of ingestion in a dose-dependent manner. We provide evidence that certain pharyngeal GRNs are necessary and sufficient for the ingestion response of larvae to caffeine. Additionally, we show that a specific pair of pharyngeal GRNs, DP1, responds to caffeine by calcium imaging. In this study we show that a specific pair of GRNs in the pharyngeal sense organs coordinates caffeine sensing with regulation of behavioral responses such as ingestion. Our results indicate that in Drosophila larvae, the pharyngeal GRNs have a major role in sensing food palatability to regulate ingestion behavior. The pharyngeal sense organs are prime candidates to influence ingestion due to their position in the pharynx, and they may act as first level sensors of ingested food.

Validity of the copper/zinc ratio as a diagnostic marker for taste disorders associated with zinc deficiency

Although zinc (Zn) deficiency is often suspected in patients with taste disorders, it may be difficult to diagnose Zn deficiency, especially in patients without any clear risk factors. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to detect possible markers for taste disorders or zinc deficiency. To achieve this aim, we analyzed data obtained from 122 Japanese men who were not using medicines and had no diseases requiring treatment. We evaluated the following factors: awareness of dysgeusia; salty taste recognition threshold (SRT); the serum concentrations of Zn, copper (Cu), iron, alkaline phosphatase, and albumin; and the Cu/Zn ratio. The serum Cu/Zn ratio was positively correlated with the both the SRT and the awareness of dysgeusia. The serum Zn concentration was not correlated with the SRT or the awareness of dysgeusia in univariate analyses. However, in multivariate logistic regression, the serum Zn concentration was associated with the awareness of dysgeusia. In conclusion, the serum Cu/Zn ratio is a good diagnostic marker for taste disorders and the value of 1.1 may be a threshold level for detecting taste disorders.

Opposing Roles of Cholinergic and GABAergic Activity in the Insular Cortex and Nucleus Basalis Magnocellularis during Novel Recognition and Familiar Taste Memory Retrieval.

During learning and recall, several brain structures act together. This work demonstrates interactions between cortical cholinergic and GABAergic systems during taste learning and memory retrieval. We found that the neuroactivity pattern during novel taste exposure is opposite that which occurs during familiar taste recognition. GABAA receptors must be inactive during novel tasting to enable new memory formation, but must be active and inhibiting acetylcholine release in the cortex to allow memory retrieval. These findings indicate that GABA inhibition modulates cholinergic transmission and that cholinergic-GABAergic system interactions are important during the transition from novel to familiar memory.

Increased N-Ethylmaleimide-Sensitive Factor Expression in Amygdala and Perirhinal Cortex during Habituation of Taste Neophobia.

Interactions between GluR2 and N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF) mediate AMPA receptors trafficking. This might be linked with molecular mechanisms related with memory formation. Previous research has shown basolateral amygdala (BLA) dependent activity changes in the perirhinal cortex (PRh) during the formation of taste memory. In the present experiments we investigate both the behavioral performance and the expression profile of NSF and GluR2 genes in several brain areas, including PRh, BLA, and hippocampus. Twenty-one naïve male Wistar rats were exposed to a saccharin solution (0.4%) during the first (novel), the second (Familiar I), and the sixth presentation (Familiar II). Total RNA was extracted and gene expression was measured by quantitative PCR (qPCR) using TaqMan gene expression assays. In addition the expression of the synaptic plasticity related immediate early genes, Homer 1 and Narp, was also assessed. We have found increased expression of NSF gene in BLA and PRh in Group Familiar I in comparison with Familiar II. No changes in the expression of GluR2, Homer 1, and Narp genes were found. The results suggest the relevance of a potential network in the temporal lobe for taste recognition memory and open new possibilities for understanding the molecular mechanisms mediating the impact of sensory experience on brain circuit function.

Mozambioside Is an Arabica-Specific Bitter-Tasting Furokaurane Glucoside in Coffee Beans.

Sensory-guided fractionation of a roasted coffee beverage revealed a highly polar, bitter-tasting subfraction, from which the furokaurane glucoside mozambioside was isolated and identified in its chemical structure by means of HDMS and NMR spectra. Sensory evaluation revealed a bitter taste recognition threshold of 60 (± 10) μmol/L. UPLC-HDMS quantitation of raw coffee beans showed that Arabica coffees contained 396-1188 nmol/g mozambioside, whereas only traces (<5 nmol/g) were detected in Robusta coffees, thus suggesting that mozambioside can be used as an analytical marker for Arabica coffee. Roasted Arabica contained a substantially reduced concentration (232 ± 37 nmol/g), indicating partial degradation of mozambioside during coffee roasting. Mozambioside was nearly quantitatively extracted into the aqueous brew during coffee-making (86-98%).

Muscle regulatory factors regulate T1R3 taste receptor expression

T1R3 is a T1R class of G protein-coupled receptors, composing subunit of the umami taste receptor when complexed with T1R1. T1R3 was originally discovered in gustatory tissue but is now known to be expressed in a wide variety of tissues and cell types such the intestine, pancreatic β-cells, skeletal muscle, and heart. In addition to taste recognition, the T1R1/T1R3 complex functions as an amino acid sensor and has been proposed to be a control mechanism for the secretion of hormones, such as cholecystokinin, insulin, and duodenal HCO3- and activates the mammalian rapamycin complex 1 (MTORC1) to inhibit autophagy. T1R3 knockout mice have increased rate of autophagy in the heart, skeletal muscle and liver. Thus, T1R3 has multiple physiological functions and is widely expressed in vivo. However, the exact mechanisms regulating T1R3 expression are largely unknown.Here, we used comparative genomics and functional analyses to characterize the genomic region upstream of the annotated transcriptional start of human T1R3. This revealed that the T1R3 promoter in human and mouse resides in an evolutionary conserved region (ECR). We also identified a repressive element located upstream of the human T1R3 promoter that has relatively high degree of conservation with rhesus macaque. Additionally, the muscle regulatory factors MyoD and Myogenin regulate T1R3 expression and T1R3 expression increases with skeletal muscle differentiation of murine myoblast C2C12 cells.Taken together, our study raises the possibility that MyoD and Myogenin might control skeletal muscle metabolism and homeostasis through the regulation of T1R3 promoter activity.

Decline of gustatory sensitivity with the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) manifest various impairments in eating behavior. However, few previous studies have directly investigated the gustatory function of AD patients, and results have been inconsistent. Thirty-two AD patients (Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) 0.5/1/2, respectively 11/15/6 patients) and 22 normal control participants were examined to measure detection and recognition thresholds of the four elemental tastes (sweet, salty, sour, and bitter), and their ability to discriminate between tastes. Effects of demographic and clinical factors (age, sex, histories of alcohol and tobacco consumption, and CDR grade) on gustatory threshold were examined using ordinal logistic regression analysis. Performance was compared between AD and control groups. Total threshold values (the sum of threshold grades for the four tastes) for detection and recognition of tastes were significantly higher in the AD group. Detection thresholds for sweet, salty, and bitter, and recognition thresholds for sweet and sour, were also significantly higher in the AD group. Ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that CDR grade was the only factor that significantly affected both total threshold values. Regarding taste discrimination, there were no significant differences between the AD group and control group. These findings suggest that progression of dementia severity accompanies gustatory decline. Although it seemingly paradoxical, weight loss and preference for sweet tastes are frequently, often simultaneously, observed in AD. Gustatory dysfunction may be partially involved in these symptoms. Thus, the nutritional care of patients with AD could be improved by making the taste of meals stronger, while controlling calorie and mineral intake.

LIMIAR DE RECONHECIMENTO DO GOSTO SALGADO E ESTIMATIVA DE CONSUMO DE SÓDIO DE TRANSPLANTADOS RENAIS

Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the threshold of saltytaste recognition and the estimate of sodium intake amongkidney-transplant recipients who attend the renal clinic inChapeco, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Methods: Study with descriptivenature, quantitative approach, based on a case study. Thesample consisted of 52 patients, who tasted saline solutions untilrecognizing the lowest concentration of salty taste. The thresholdwas represented by the average value of concentrations where“recognition” and “non-recognition” occurred. Other data werecollected from medical records. Results: Most of the sample(63.5%) showed a threshold regarded as normal or below normal,i.e. less than or equal to 0.01 mol/l (0.91 g/l) and the average saltintake was 10.7 g/day, estimated from urinary sodium excretion.There was no significant association between the classificationof salty taste recognition thresholds and some of the variablesunder study, namely: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), bloodpressure, antihypertensive drug use, and estimated salt intakefrom urinary sodium. However, if evaluating the associationbetween the amount of the lowest concentration recognizing saltytaste and age, it shows up as statistically significant (rs = 0.339;p = 0.014). Older patients had higher salty taste recognitionthresholds. Conclusion: Although there is a need for furtherresearch on the subject, a high estimate of salt intake fromurinary sodium is observed, and this reality should be carefullyaddressed, especially for elderly patients, who have a higher saltytaste recognition threshold and may increase salt intake to makefood more pleasant to their taste. Not only kidney-transplantrecipients, but also the Brazilian population as a whole, requirepublic health actions to reduce salt intake. DOI: 10.12957/demetra.2015.14092

Taste genetics and gastrointestinal symptoms experienced in chronic kidney disease.

It is unknown what causes uraemic symptoms in renal disease. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are known to have increased levels of urea, sodium, potassium and phosphate in their saliva compared with those without renal disease. The present cross-sectional study investigated associations between known genetic traits of taste and self-reported upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms experienced in CKD patients with the changes in saliva composition found in renal failure. Fifty-six CKD patients (35 males, 21 females, age 67±14 years), with stages 4 and 5 renal failure, selected from a tertiary hospital renal outpatient clinic participated in this study. Subjects answered a questionnaire to assess upper GI symptoms and tested for the genetic taste recognition thresholds of thiourea, phenylthiocarbamide and sodium benzoate. Saliva samples were collected to determine biochemical composition. Possible associations between genetic taste variations, saliva composition and upper GI symptoms were investigated. Of the 56 patients enroled, 29 (52%) reported major upper GI uraemic symptoms, whereas 27 (48%) had no symptoms or only minor complaints of dry mouth. There was a strong association between the symptomatic burden a patient experienced and the genetic ability to taste thiourea (P<0.0003). Uraemic symptoms of taste changes (P<0.004) and nausea (P<0.002) were found to be related to a patient's genetic ability to taste thiourea. This study provides evidence that the genetic ability to taste thiourea as bitter, in combination with the increase in active compounds found in CKD patient's saliva, impacts on the uraemic upper GI symptoms experienced.

Seasonal Variation of Taste Recognition Threshold in Young Females

The purpose of the present study was to reveal the seasonal effect on recognition thresholds of four primary taste modalities (sweet, salty, sour, and bitter). Twenty‐two healthy young females were participated in this study. All participants were performed taste recognition tests three times: in January 2014 (winter‐1), July 2014 (summer), and January 2015 (winter‐2). We assessed the taste threshold by using the Taste disk®, i.e., round shape filter papers soaked with sucrose (0.3, 2.5, 10, and 20 %), NaCl (0.3, 1.25, 5, and 10 %), tartaric acid (0.02, 0.2, 2, and 4 %), and quinine (0.001, 0.02, 0.1, and 0.5 %) solutions, and the Salsave®, i.e., stick type of filter papers containing NaCl (0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5 mg/cm2). In the test using the Taste disk®, the taste recognition thresholds did not change in most of the subjects for all tastants throughout the seasons. On the other hand, in the Salsave® test, the recognition threshold of salty taste decreased from winter‐1 to summer in 17 of 22 subjects, and increased from summer to winter‐2 in 16 of 22 subjects. The average threshold in summer (0.08 ± 0.01 mg/cm2) was significantly lower than that in winter‐1 (0.16 ± 0.02 mg/cm2) and winter‐2 (0.15 ± 0.02 mg/cm2) (p&lt;0.05). These results suggested that salty taste can be more sensitively detected in summer than winter.

Molecular mechanisms of taste recognition: considerations about the role of saliva.

The gustatory system plays a critical role in determining food preferences and food intake, in addition to nutritive, energy and electrolyte balance. Fine tuning of the gustatory system is also crucial in this respect. The exact mechanisms that fine tune taste sensitivity are as of yet poorly defined, but it is clear that various effects of saliva on taste recognition are also involved. Specifically those metabolic polypeptides present in the saliva that were classically considered to be gut and appetite hormones (i.e., leptin, ghrelin, insulin, neuropeptide Y, peptide YY) were considered to play a pivotal role. Besides these, data clearly indicate the major role of several other salivary proteins, such as salivary carbonic anhydrase (gustin), proline-rich proteins, cystatins, alpha-amylases, histatins, salivary albumin and mucins. Other proteins like glucagon-like peptide-1, salivary immunoglobulin-A, zinc-α-2-glycoprotein, salivary lactoperoxidase, salivary prolactin-inducible protein and salivary molecular chaperone HSP70/HSPAs were also expected to play an important role. Furthermore, factors including salivary flow rate, buffer capacity and ionic composition of saliva should also be considered. In this paper, the current state of research related to the above and the overall emerging field of taste-related salivary research alongside basic principles of taste perception is reviewed.

Philosophy of gustatory perception strategy for hand gesture recognition

Purpose – Nature is the single and most complex system that has been always studied, and no one can compete Mother Nature, but we can learn from her, by many new methodologies through biology. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, being inspired by the mechanism through which our Mother Nature handling human taste, a proposed model for clustering and classification hand gesture is introduced based on human taste controlling strategy. Findings – The model can extract information from measurement data and handling it as the structure of tongue and the nervous systems of human taste recognition. Originality/value – The efficiency of proposed model is demonstrated experimentally on classifying the sign language data set; in the high recognition accuracy obtained for numbers of ASL was 95.52 percent.

Effects of glutamate and its metabotropic receptors class 1 antagonist in appetitive taste memory formation

Cortical glutamatergic activity is known to be important for memory formation in different learning tasks. For example, glutamate activity in the insular cortex plays an important role in aversive taste memory formation by signaling the unconditioned stimulus. However, the role of glutamate in the insular cortex in appetitive taste learning has remained poorly studied. Therefore, we considered the function of glutamate in attenuation of neophobia, a model of appetitive taste recognition memory. For this purpose, we performed infusions of vehicle, glutamate, a specific mGluR1 antagonist (AIDA) or a combination of glutamate and AIDA at 0 or 30min, and glutamate or vehicle at 60min after novel saccharin consumption. Glutamate infusion impaired appetitive taste recognition memory when infused at 0 or 30min, whereas, AIDA infusions produced enhanced appetitive memory at the same infusion times. Furthermore, when glutamate and AIDA were infused together no effect on attenuation of neophobia was observed. As opposed to shorter infusion times, the administration of glutamate 60min after the presentation of the saccharin consumption was ineffective in the impairment of the appetitive taste memory. These results are discussed in view of the effect of glutamate and its mGluR1 during the appetitive taste recognition memory formation in the insular cortex.

Science of umami taste: adaptation to gastronomic culture

This paper reviews the points behind the more than a hundred-year delay for the acceptance of umami as a basic taste along with the sweet, sour, salty, and bitter tastes after its discovery by a Japanese scientist in 1908. One of the main reasons for the late recognition of umami taste is the difference in culinary culture between Europe and Japan. Recent collaborative studies with chefs and researchers on traditional soup stocks showed different taste profiles for the Japanese soup stock ‘dashi’ and the western-style soup stock. The profile of free amino acids in dashi, when compared to the one in the Western style soup stock, explains why umami has been more easily accepted by Japanese who have being traditionally experiencing the simple umami taste of dashi. The recent exchange on cooking methods and diverse types of umami-rich foods in different countries has facilitated a new approach to culinary science blending culinary arts, food science, and food technology for healthier and tastier solutions.

Interventions for the management of taste disturbances.

The sense of taste is very much essential to the overall health of the individual. It is a necessary component to enjoying one's food, which in turn provides nutrition to an individual. Any disturbance in taste perception can hamper the quality of life in such patients by influencing their appetite, body weight and psychological well-being. Taste disorders have been treated using different modalities of treatment and there is no consensus for the best intervention. Hence this Cochrane systematic review was undertaken. To assess the effects of interventions for the management of patients with taste disturbances. We searched the Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register (to 5 March 2014), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library Issue 1, 2014), MEDLINE via OVID (1948 to 5 March 2014), EMBASE via OVID (1980 to 5 March 2014), CINAHL via EBSCO (1980 to 5 March 2014) and AMED via OVID (1985 to 5 March 2014). We also searched the relevant clinical trial registries and conference proceedings from the International Association of Dental Research/American Association of Dental Research (to 5 March 2014), Association for Research in Otolaryngology (to 5 March 2014), the US National Institutes of Health Trials Register (to 5 March 2014), metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) (to 5 March 2014), World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP) (to 5 March 2014) and International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) Clinical Trials Portal (to 5 March 2014). We included all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing any pharmacological agent with a control intervention or any non-pharmacological agent with a control intervention. We also included cross-over trials in the review. Two authors independently, and in duplicate, assessed the quality of trials and extracted data. Wherever possible, we contacted study authors for additional information. We collected adverse events information from the trials. We included nine trials (seven parallel and two cross-over RCTs) with 566 participants. We assessed three trials (33.3%) as having a low risk of bias, four trials (44.5%) at high risk of bias and two trials (22.2%) as having an unclear risk of bias. We only included studies on taste disorders in this review that were either idiopathic, or resulting from zinc deficiency or chronic renal failure.Of these, eight trials with 529 people compared zinc supplements to placebo for patients with taste disorders. The participants in two trials were children and adolescents with respective mean ages of 10 and 11.2 years and the other six trials had adult participants. Out of these eight, two trials assessed the patient reported outcome for improvement in taste acuity using zinc supplements (RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.0 to 2.1; very low quality evidence). We included three trials in the meta-analysis for overall taste improvement (effect size 0.44, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.65; moderate quality evidence). Two other trials described the results as taste acuity improvement and we conducted subgroup analyses due to clinical heterogeneity. One trial described the results as taste recognition improvement for each taste sensation and we analysed this separately. We also analysed one cross-over trial separately using the first half of the results. None of the zinc trials tested taste discrimination. Only one trial tested taste discrimination using acupuncture (effect size 2.80, 95% CI -1.18 to 6.78; low quality evidence).Out of the eight trials using zinc supplementation, four reported adverse events like eczema, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, constipation, decrease in blood iron, increase in blood alkaline phosphatase, and minor increase in blood triglycerides. No adverse events were reported in the acupuncture trial.None of the included trials could be included in the meta-analysis for health-related quality of life in taste disorder patients. We found very low quality evidence that was insufficient to conclude on the role of zinc supplements to improve taste perception by patients, however we found moderate quality evidence that zinc supplements improve overall taste improvement in patients with zinc deficiency/idiopathic taste disorders. We also found low quality evidence that zinc supplements improve taste acuity in zinc deficient/idiopathic taste disorders and very low quality evidence for taste recognition improvement in children with taste disorders secondary to chronic renal failure. We did not find any evidence to conclude the role of zinc supplements for improving taste discrimination, or any evidence addressing health-related quality of life due to taste disorders.We found low quality evidence that is not sufficient to conclude on the role of acupuncture for improving taste discrimination in cases of idiopathic dysgeusia (distortion of taste) and hypogeusia (reduced ability to taste). We were unable to draw any conclusions regarding the superiority of zinc supplements or acupuncture as none of the trials compared these interventions.

Abstract 18991: Salt Taste Detection and Recognition Thresholds - Reliability of a Rapid Sensory Analysis Method

Introduction: Excessive sodium intake is clearly and independently associated with hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. The salt taste sensitivity is closely related to hedonic aspects of nutrition, and this is an important individual factor contributing to the nutritional behavior of salt intake. Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of an adapted-sensory analysis method for rapid determination of salt taste Detection Threshold (DT - the minimum concentration necessary to detect the stimulus) and Recognition Threshold (RT - the minimum concentration necessary to recognize the salty stimulus). Methods: The temporal stability of a rapid sensory analysis based on the 3-alternative forced-choice (3-AFC) method (ASTM E679) was tested with 30 adult volunteers. DT and RT for salt were determined using a 15 series of ascending concentrations of salt (from 1 to 290 mM; 1,5-fold steps). Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to test the agreement between the results of the test-retest (1-week interval). For the analysis, the threshold values were log-transformed. Results: The average time of the trial per participant was 16.7 minutes. Standard deviation on log-transformed DT and RT values quite were variable among subjects. Means for both DT and RT were lower in the retest: 2,99 mM (test) vs. 2,41 mM (retest) for DT; and 19,04 mM (test) vs. 13,76 mM (retest) for RT. However, the test-retest results for both thresholds were reasonably in agreement, as confirmed by the ICCs observed: 0.599 (CI95%; 0,157 - 0,809) and 0.783 (CI95%; 0,545 - 0,897) for DT and RT, respectively. Conclusions: The sensory analysis method used in this study exhibited evidence of temporal stability, thus of a reliable measure. This observation and the fact of being fast and simple to perform for both experimenter and participant, reinforce its suitability for the determination of salt taste thresholds in studies involving large numbers of subjects. Linking between taste sensitivity to salt consumption and some clinical characteristics such as obesity and visceral fat, may help to understand the mutual influence of these variables, and suggest appropriate interventions to reduce salt intake among individuals at higher cardiovascular risk.