5 research outputs found
Characterisation and optimisation of the flavour of health-promoting, plantderived bitterants in functional beverages.
Flavour is a combination of taste, odour, and chemesthetic sensations. Close associations exist
between these sensory modalities, and thus, the overall flavour of a food or beverage product can
change when the intensity of one or more of these sensations is altered. Strategies to modify
flavour are often utilized by the food industry, and are central to the engineering of new and
reformulated products. For functional food and beverages, flavour modification is particularly
important, as fortifying agents can elicit high levels of less than desirable sensations, such as
bitterness and astringency. The application of various flavour modifying strategies can decrease
the perceived intensity of these sensations, and in tum, improve the sensory profile of the
product. This collection of studies describes the sensory characteristics of experimental
functional beverages fortified with trans-resveratrol, (+)-catechin, and/or caffeine, and examines
the impact of novel flavour modifying strategies on the perceived flavour of these beverages. In
the first study, results demonstrate that the flavour profile of Cabemet Sauvignon wines fortified
with 20 mglL and 200 mg/L of trans-resveratrol is not perceived as different compared to control
wine (0 mglL). However, Riesling wine fortified with 200 mg/L is perceived as significantly
higher in bitterness compared to 20 mglL and control. For some functional food formulations,
alternative strategies for flavour modification are needed. Traditional methods, such as the
addition of sucrose and sodium chloride, may decrease the perceived 'healthiness' of a product,
and thus, may be sub-optimal. In a second study, high and low concentrations of five different
bitter inhibiting compounds - 'bitter blockers' - (B-cyclodextrin, homoeridictyol sodium salt,
carboxymethylcellulose - low viscosity, zinc sulfate, magnesium sulfate) were tested for their
efficacy towards decreasing the bitterness of high and low concentrations of caffeine and (+)catechin
- two health-relevant, plant-derived bitterants. B-cyclodextrin and homoeridictyol sodium salt were the most effective blockers at decreasing (+ )-catechin and caffeine,
respectively. In addition to bitter blockers, additional flavour modifying strategies, either alone
or in combination - may also be successful in functional food formulations. Both sucrose and
rebaudioside A - a plant-derived sweetener - were effective at decreasing the bitterness of (+)catechin.
When added to (+)-catechin along with B-cyc1odextrin, both sweeteners provided the
most effective decrease in bitterness compared to binary, ternary, or quaternary mixtures of (+)catechin
together with bitter blockers, sweeteners, andlor odourants. The perceived intensity of
sensations elicited by sweeteners and odourants was not affected by the addition of bitter
blockers, and thus, their impact within these complex matrices is minimal. In addition, withinmodal
(taste-taste) compared to cross-modal (taste-odour) sensory interactions were more
effective at decreasing the bitterness of (+ )-catechin. Overall, results from these studies
demonstrate that certain novel, alternative flavour modifying approaches may be successful
towards lowering the bitterness and astringency elicited by (+ )-catechin and caffeine in aqueous
solutions
Resveratrol-fortification of red wine does not provide greater inhibition of human lung cancer cell survival compared to non-fortified wine.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and individuals with this disease often develop resistance to conventional cytotoxic therapies. Red wine and its polyphenolic component resveratrol, have been shown to have anticancer effects. Wines fortified with resveratrol have been marketed as having additional health benefits because of their increased polyphenolic content, however no studies exist examining this claim. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of resveratrol-fortified red wine on lung cancer cell survival. Human NSCLC A549 cells were treated with varying concentrations of red wine with or without trans-resveratrol fortification. Cell survival was assessed using clonogenic assays and immunoblotting was used to explore the effects on Akt and ERK signaling molecules. Red wine significantly inhibited cell survival at concentrations as low as 0.02%, and significantly reduced phosphorylation of both Akt and ERK. No significant differences were seen between regular and resveratrol-fortified red wine. These data suggest that red wine may have considerable cancer preventive potential, however it does not support the use of resveratrol-fortified wine for additional health benefits.