Sweetness perception, substances that

Sweet Taste. The mechanism of sweetness perception has been extensively studied because of its commercial importance. Many substances that vary in chemical structure have been discovered which are similar to the taste of sucrose. Commercial sweeteners include sucralose, acesulfame-K, saccharin, aspartame, cyclamate (Canada) and the protein thaumatin 4), Each sweetener is unique in its perceived sensation because of the time to the onset of sweetness and to maximum sweetness, ability to mask other sensations, persistence, aftertaste and intensity relative to sucrose [TABLE IT. For example, the saccharides, sorbitol and... 

Our interest in the analysis of nonvolatiles, thus, may involve taste substances or substances that indirectly influence taste or aroma. As mentioned earlier, in the first case, we are interested in the analysis of substances that impart sweetness, tartness, bitterness, saltiness, or unmami sensations. The analysis of these substances is reasonably well defined. In the latter case, the analyses employed are less well defined and are unique to the components one wishes to analyze. For example, we may wish to measure substances (e.g., melanoidins) that interact with sulfur aroma compounds (in coffee). There are no standardized methods for the analysis of melanoidins in foods and thus, the protocols have to be developed. In this chapter, we will only briefly discuss the established methods for the analysis of taste substances. Due to the specificity of methods for the analysis of nonvolatiles that may indirectly influence flavor perception, we will only refer the reader to the literature [93-100]. 

Flavorings—These are the substances that stimulate the senses of taste and/or smell. With the exception of the four primary sensations—sweet, bitter, salty, and sour— flavor characteristics are the result of our perception of odor the difference between flavor and fragrance is in large part only a semantic distinction. Thus, a substance that provides an odor in perfumes may also be used to add flavoring to a food. 

Moskowitz and Arabic (1970) found that the taste intensity (sweetness, sourness, saltiness, and bitterness) was related to the apparent viscosity of carboxymethylcel-lulose solutions by a power function with a negative slope. Pangbom et al. (1973) observed that the influence of different hydrocolloids on the perception of some basic taste intensities (saltiness, bitterness, sourness) appeared to be more dependent on the nature of the hydrocolloid and the taste of the substance than on the viscosity level. In contrast, sweetness imparted by sucrose was found to be highly dependent on viscosity, that is, the hydrocolloid concentration above a certain viscosity threshold, it was shown that the sweetness intensity of sucrose was significantly depressed. Saltiness was the taste attribute less affected, sourness, imparted by citric acid, was significantly reduced by all hydrocolloids tested, and for the other taste substances, the presence of a hydrocolloid generally enhanced the taste intensity of saccharin and depressed that of sucrose and caffeine (bitterness). 

The flavor of food is the most important sensory attribnte affecting the acceptance and preference of consumers. Standards organizations in many countries define flavor as a total impression of taste, odor, tactile, kinesthetic, temperature, and pain sensations perceived through tasting [1]. It is widely accepted that flavor includes the aromatics, such as olfactory perceptions caused by volatile substances the tastes, such as gustatory perceptions (salty, sweet, sour, and bitter) caused by soluble... 

Flavor is a combination of taste, sensation, and odor transmitted by receptors in the mouth (taste buds) and nose (olfactory receptors). The stereochemical theory of odor is discussed in the essay that precedes Experiment 16. The four basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter) are perceived in specific areas of the tongue. The sides of the tongue perceive sour and salty tastes, the tip is most sensitive to sweet tastes, and the back of the tongue detects bitter tastes. The perception of flavor, however, is not so simple. If it were, it would require only the formulation of various combinations of four basic substances—a bitter substance (a base), a sour substance (an acid), a salty substance (sodium chloride), and a sweet substance (sugar)—to duplicate any flavor In fact, we cannot duplicate flavors in this way. The human possesses 9,000 taste buds. The combined response of these taste buds is what allows perception of a particular flavor. 

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