Is fat the sixth taste primary? Evidence and implications

Explores our tongue\u27s ability to detect fat as a distinct taste similar to our ability to sense sweet, sour, bitter, acid and savory. Abstract Taste is the chemical sense responsible for the detection of non-volatile chemicals in potential foods. For fat to be considered as one of the taste primaries in humans, certain criteria must be met including class of affective stimuli, receptors specific for the class of stimuli on taste bud cells (TBC), afferent fibres from TBC to taste-processing regions of the brain, perception independent of other taste qualities and downstream physiological effects. The breakdown products of the macronutrients carbohydrates (sugars) and proteins (amino acids) are responsible for the activation of sweet and umami tastes, respectively. Following the same logic, the breakdown products of fat being fatty acids are the likely class of stimuli for fat taste. Indeed, psychophysical studies have confirmed that fatty acids of varying chain length and saturation are orally detectable by humans. The most likely fatty acid receptor candidates located on TBC are CD36 and G protein-coupled receptor 120. Once the receptors are activated by fatty acids, a series of transduction events occurs causing the release of neurotransmitters towards afferent fibres signalling the brain. Whether fatty acids elicit any direct perception independent of other taste qualities is still open to debate with only poorly defined perceptions for fatty acids reported. Others suggest that the fatty acid taste component is at detection threshold only and any perceptions are associated with either aroma or chemesthesis. It has also been established that oral exposure to fat via sham feeding stimulates increases in blood TAG concentrations in humans. Therefore, overall, with the exception of an independent perception, there is consistent emerging evidence that fat is the sixth taste primary. The implications of fatty acid taste go further into health and obesity research, with the gustatory detection of fats and their contributions to energy and fat intake receiving increasing attention. There appears to be a coordinated bodily response to fatty acids throughout the alimentary canal; those who are insensitive orally are also insensitive in the gastrointestinal tract and overconsume fatty food and energy. The likely mechanism linking fatty acid taste insensitivity with overweight and obesity is development of satiety after consumption of fatty foods

LeviSense: a platform for the multisensory integration in levitating food and insights into its effect on flavour perception

Eating is one of the most multisensory experiences in everyday life. All of our five senses (i.e. taste, smell, vision, hearing and touch) are involved, even if we are not aware of it. However, while multisensory integration has been well studied in psychology, there is not a single platform for testing systematically the effects of different stimuli. This lack of platform results in unresolved design challenges for the design of taste-based immersive experiences. Here, we present LeviSense: the first system designed for multisensory integration in gustatory experiences based on levitated food. Our system enables the systematic exploration of different sensory effects on eating experiences. It also opens up new opportunities for other professionals (e.g., molecular gastronomy chefs) looking for innovative taste-delivery platforms. We describe the design process behind LeviSense and conduct two experiments to test a subset of the crossmodal combinations (i.e., taste and vision, taste and smell). Our results show how different lighting and smell conditions affect the perceived taste intensity, pleasantness, and satisfaction. We discuss how LeviSense creates a new technical, creative, and expressive possibilities in a series of emerging design spaces within Human-Food Interaction

Taste and olfaction in middle ear surgery

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess pre- and postoperative taste ability in patients undergoing middle ear surgery for otosclerosis or chronic otitis media. Olfactory function was also evaluated to rule out taste deficits due to concomitant nasal pathology. METHODS: All patients underwent ear, nose, and throat examination, otomicroscopy, nasal endoscopy, anterior rhinomanometry, taste testing, and olfactory testing. Patients were evaluated at 1 to 5 days preoperatively (T0), and at 1 (T1), 6 (T6), and 12 (T12) months postoperatively. RESULTS: Both groups of patients experienced worsening of the mean taste threshold postoperatively. This phenomenon was more serious in poststapedotomy patients. Follow-up showed progressive improvement in both groups. All values of olfactory testing were within the normal range for otosclerosis patients. Patients with chronic otitis media showed variable postoperative findings. CONCLUSION: Chorda tympani function can be negatively affected by middle ear surgery. Deficits may be more marked in stapedotomy patients than in those undergoing tympanoplasty. Postoperative recovery of taste is satisfactory, although with different timelines for the 2 types of patholog

Taste and the algorithm

Today, a consistent part of our everyday interaction with art and aesthetic artefacts occurs through digital media, and our preferences and choices are systematically tracked and analyzed by algorithms in ways that are far from transparent. Our consumption is constantly documented, and then, we are fed back through tailored information. We are therefore witnessing the emergence of a complex interrelation between our aesthetic choices, their digital elaboration, and also the production of content and the dynamics of creative processes. All are involved in a process of mutual influences, and are partially determined by the invisible guiding hand of algorithms. With regard to this topic, this paper will introduce some key issues concerning the role of algorithms in aesthetic domains, such as taste detection and formation, cultural consumption and production, and showing how aesthetics can contribute to the ongoing debate about the impact of today’s “algorithmic culture”

Staggered chiral random matrix theory

We present a random matrix theory (RMT) for the staggered lattice QCD Dirac operator. The staggered RMT is equivalent to the zero-momentum limit of the staggered chiral Lagrangian and includes all taste breaking terms at their leading order. This is an extension of previous work which only included some of the taste breaking terms. We will also present some results for the taste breaking contributions to the partition function and the Dirac eigenvalues.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, v2 has minor edits and corrections to some equations to match published versio

The taste of togetherness.

The larvae of fruit flies produce pheromones to control whether they are attracted to others of the same species or whether they avoid members of a different species

Exploring the relationship between dietary patterns, eating behaviour and fat taste detection thresholds : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Background: Dietary pattern analysis provides a unique opportunity to explore combinations of food intake in conjunction with factors known to affect dietary intake. Fat taste sensitivity is an emerging correlate of dietary intake and, when impaired, has a proposed role in the dysregulation of dietary intake and eating behaviours. Aim: To investigate dietary patterns, eating behaviours and fat taste detection thresholds in a group of New Zealand European women aged 19-45 years and identify associations between these factors. Methods: Fifty post-menarche, pre-menopausal New Zealand European (NZE) women, (18-40 years) completed a partially validated, semi-quantiative 220-item food frequency questionnaire and a validated Three-factor eating questionnaire. Height and weight were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2) and a bioeletrical impedence analysis (BIA) was completed to measure body fat percentage (BF%). During sensory testing protocol participants were exposed to increasing concentrations of ultra-heat treatment (UHT) milk/oleic acid (OA) solutions using the three alternative forced choice method (3-AFC). A naïve OA detection threshold was determined at the point where the participant identified the OA solution correctly three times at the same concentration. Dietary patterns were determined using principal component factor analysis. Associations between dietary pattern scores, taste sensitivity, eating behaviour and baseline characteristics were investigated. Results: Three dietary patterns were identified: ‘unhealthy’, ‘healthy’ and ‘snacking’. Most women had low eating behaviour scores for cognitive restraint (90%) and disinhibition (74%). Hunger scores were comparatively higher, only 40% had low scores. Twenty-three participants (46%) were classified as hypersensitive and 54% were hyposensitive to OA taste. ‘Unhealthy’ pattern scores were inversely associated with cognitive restraint (r=.391, P=.005) and positively associated with age (r=.297, P=.036). ‘Healthy’ pattern scores were positively associated with cognitive restraint (r=.418, P=.003), OA taste detection thresholds (r=0.446, P=.001) and BMI (r=.325, P=.021). Women with low ‘snacking’ pattern scores were significantly older (31.7 years (24.7, 40.4)) than those with moderate scores (24.0 years (22.0, 28.1)) (P=.037). No relationship was found between OA taste detection thresholds and eating behaviour. Conclusion: Participants in this study showed a significant link between habitual dietary intake and measures for eating behaviour and fat taste sensitivity. Both ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ dietary patterns were associated with one, or both, of these factors. An unexpected positive association between the ‘healthy’ dietary pattern and fat taste sensitivity indicates a need for further investigation to better understand this relationship. Findings from the current study support the use of dietary patterns to better represent habitual intake in future research investigating fat taste sensitivity or eating behaviour. Key words: Habitual intake, dietary intake, fat taste sensitivity, cognitive restraint, disinhibition, hunge

Pengaruh Warna Kemasan Terhadap Persepsi Rasa Pada Produk \ud Minuman

Strategy color packaging is a technique that affects the consumer perception of a product. With the influence of perception, the marketers will be able to win marketing competition, because basically competition in marketing, in addition to fighting product, is also a battle of perception. \ud This study aims to test the hypothesis of the influence of packaging color (blue, white, red) on the perception of taste in beverage products. The design of this study using laboratory experimental approach Within the subject. The participants in this study were college students as \ud many as 30 people. In conducting the study, 30 students are divided into 6 groups, where each group consisted of 5 participants. Sampling technique used in this study is simple random sampling. Hypothesis test used in this study is the statistical test Manova (multivariate analysis \ud of variance). \ud Hypothesis test results showed that: (1) there is a color effect on the perception of taste in the bottled beverage products (F=6.785, sig=0.000). (2) there is a color effect on the perception of color packaging sweetness (F=24.30, sig =0.000<0.01), there is the influence of packaging color \ud of sour taste (F=7964, sig =0.001<0.01), there is a color effect on freshness taste perception (F=20,101; sig=0.000<0.01). The analysis result also shows that there is no influence of color on the saltiness taste perception (F=0431; sig=0.430> 0.05), and no influence of color packaging to bitter taste perception (F=0507;sig=0.604>0.05). \ud Based on the results of this study is recommended to producers for use colors that match packs flavor desired by the consumer