Starch is a significant component of the human diet and the glucose produced through its digestion provides a critical source of energy. When starch enters the mouth, salivary α-amylase hydrolyzes it into maltooligosaccharides (MOS, degree of polymerization [DP] 3-20) and maltopolysaccharides (MPS, DP >20). Previous studies have found that humans...
There is growing evidence that humans and other animals can taste certain starch hydrolysis products, namely, maltooligosaccharides (MOS), and that their detection is independent of the known sweet receptor, T1R2 T1R3. The overall goal of this study was to further investigate the taste perception of low degree-of-polymerization (DP) MOS in...
When it comes to carbohydrate, it has been assumed that only mono- and disaccharides, but not oligo- and polysaccharides, can be tasted. However, because of its importance in the human diet, oral detection of starch or its hydrolysis products would be beneficial. The main goal of this study was to...
The sensations of taste and smell are integral to our perception of food. Because the olfactory and gustatory systems are physiologically separate, scientists were once uncertain of whether information from these two systems interacted at the perceptual level. Recent studies suggest that taste and smell do indeed interact. Two interaction...
Among sensory and food scientists, the 9-point hedonic scale has been the most
commonly used scale for measuring liking and disliking of products. Recently, the
Labeled Hedonic Scale (LHS) was developed to overcome some recognized limitations
of the 9-point hedonic scale. One of the claimed advantages of the LHS is...
Taste sensitivity has been considered the primary chemosensory factor in studies of chemical senses and ingestive behavior. However, recent research has shown that retronasal olfaction is at least equally important in food preference and selection. Additionally, taste has been shown to modulate perceived intensity of retronasally perceived odors. The objectives...
Due to a combination of misinterpretation and misleading illustration, the premise of a “tongue map”, which indicated that sweetness could only be detected at the front of the tongue and bitterness could only be detected on the back, became wide spread. In fact, all taste qualities can be detected on...
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between taste and odor through the phenomenon called retronasal odor enhancement by sweet taste. The specific sweet tastants used were zero or low calorie sweeteners. Experiment 1 used an aqueous model system where subjects sampled of vanilla solutions with and without five different...
Prebiotics are a subset of dietary fiber that is growing in demand within the food industry. The health benefits of prebiotics have been well established, leading to the increase in its incorporation into various food products. Given the importance of prebiotics as functional ingredients, it is important to understand their...
The clean label movement is a persistent, consumer-driven trend that has shifted consumer preferences in favor of foods considered to be more natural. Although lacking legal definitions in food labeling, the terms “natural” and “clean label” are generally used to characterize foods that have short, minimal ingredient lists containing simple...