Chemical Senses and Flavour

F.Patte, M.Etcheto, P.Laffort, Selected and Standardized Values of Suprathreshold Odor Intensities for 110 Substances, Chemical Senses and Flavour, 1, 1975, 283-305. 

Amoore, J. E., Pelosi, P., and Forrester, L. J. (1977). Specific anosmias to 5a-androst-16-en-3-one and primary odors. Chemical Senses and Flavour 1,401-425. 

One year later, in 1974, "Chemical Senses and Flavour," which in 1978 changed its title to "Chemical Senses," was initiated. It was a useful journal for those interested in the physiological aspects of odour communication. 

Wright, R. H. Odor and molecular vibration Optical isomers. Chemical Senses and Flavour 3, 35—37(1978). 

Flavour is the sensory impression of a food while eating. It is determined by the three chemical senses of taste, smell, and the so-called trigeminal senses, which detect chemical irritants in the mouth and throat. 

D. G. Laing, H. Panhuber, R. I. Baxter, Olfactory properties of amines and n-butanol, Chemical Senses Flavour 1978, 3,149. 

Besides nutrients, foods contain many substances that influence the food sensory impression and its organoleptic properties. These food constituents are known as sensoriaUy active compounds. They determine the sensory value (quality) of foods, inducing an olfactory sensation (perception), which is described as the aroma, odour and smell, gustative perception, which is the taste, visual perception, which is the colour, haptic (tactile) perception, which is the touch and feel, and auditorial perception, which is the sound. The olfactory sensation is derived from odour-active compounds and the gustative perception from taste-active compounds. Flavour is the sensory impression determined by the chemical senses of both taste and smell and is caused by flavour-active food components. Haptic sensation is the texture, which is affected mainly by high molecular weight compounds, such as proteins and polysaccharides, often referred to collectively as hydrocoUoids. Geometric aspects of texture that evoke both haptic and visual sensations symbolise the terms appearance and shape. 

Hidaka, I., Ohsugi, T., and Kubomatsu, T., 1978, Taste receptor stimulation and feeding behaviour in the puffer, Fugu paradalis, I. Effect of single chemicals, Chem. Senses Flavour, 3 341. 

The hop essential oil component myrcene, an obnoxious chemical and in a sense a solvent, is present in correctly-made hop extracts in concentrations which can reach several percent. The same steam distillation effect removes all traces of myrcene from wort which is boiled for 2 hours. If this were not the case, the result would be disastrous. Sub-ppb levels of myrcene may impart a hoppy flavour to beer, but ppm levels of myrcene (amount added by the hop or hop extract) would be very disagreeable. If a hoppy flavour, maybe involving extremely small traces of myrcene, is desired, very late hopping or cold hopping have to be used. 

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