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Results for “taste perception”

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At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Understanding creaminess perception of dairy products using free-choice profiling and genetic responsivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil.

Flavor and texture contribute to the perception of creaminess in dairy products, but the nature of this interaction is not well understood. Previous studies on the genetic ability to perceive the bitter compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) reveal the existence of individual differences in creaminess perception. The objective of the present study was to use PROP-classified subjects to gain insight into this individual variation to better understand the cues for creaminess in dairy products, and to ascertain the contributions of flavor and texture to the integrated perception of creaminess. Ten nontasters and 10 supertasters of PROP participated in the study. Subjects evaluated nine commercial dairy products using Free-Choice Profiling (FCP), a type of descriptive analysis that allows subjects to rate products on individual lists of descriptors. Generalized Procrustes Analysis was used to develop separate consensus spaces for nontasters and supertasters. The models for both groups accounted for approximately 54% of the variance in the data and were resolved in two dimensions (a dairy flavor/texture axis and a sweet-sour continuum). The products were arranged in a similar pattern along the dimensions in both models. However, nontasters used a limited number of simple terms (sour, sweet, milky and mouthcoating) to describe the products, whereas supertasters used a more complex vocabulary (rich, buttery, creamy, light, grainy, gritty and sandy). The model for nontasters gave equal weight to the sweet-sour and dairy flavor/texture dimensions (28 and 26% variance, respectively); whereas, the model for supertasters relied more heavily on the dairy flavor/texture dimension (34% variance), and less so on the sweet-sour dimension (20% variance). These data suggest that the overall impression of creaminess was similar for nontasters and supertasters, but the cues the two groups used to judge creaminess differed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Influence of acupuncture and pharmacotherapy on sensitivity of sensory systems to alcohol irritants in patients with alcoholism.

The sensitivity of an alcoholic's sensory systems (SS) to alcohol therapy is a good indication of treatment efficacy in this disease. In this study, we compare pharmacotherapy (PHT) and acupuncture therapy (AP) on the sensitivity of visual (VL), acoustic (AC), olfactory (OL) and taste (TS) systems to alcohol irritants (AI). The results showed that PHT changed the threshold sensitivity of SS to AI but did not cause aversion of SS to AI. In acupuncture treatment, results can be divided into four groups: Group 1, no aversion of AC was produced to AI; Group 2, no aversion of TS and OL were produced to AI; Group 3, no aversion of VL to AI; and group 4, no aversion was recorded to AI. Supposedly, one of the sensory systems of the organism is genetically leading in organizing sensory-emotional operation of information, and other SS are subordinates. Therefore, before acupuncture treatment for alcoholism, it is necessary to cause excitation to the ethanol-dependent system (target-system) by means of irritation to the leading sensory system of the patient.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2005

Evaluating the establishment and maintenance of visual-visual and gustatory-visual equivalence relations in adults with developmental disabilities.

Four adults with developmental disabilities were taught to make conditional discriminations between either pictures and their corresponding printed English and Spanish words, or tastes and their corresponding printed English and Spanish words. Participants required more training trials to master the visual-visual conditional discriminations than the gustatory-visual conditional discriminations, and 3 of the 4 participants performed with higher accuracy on visual equivalence class test trials than gustatory-visual equivalence class test trials. A follow-up equivalence test conducted 30 to 40 days later showed substantially greater stability over time for the gustatory-visual classes than for the visual classes, for all participants. That participants acquired gustatory-visual conditional discriminations, as well as equivalence classes based on those conditional discriminations, may have relevance for incorporating gustatory stimuli into mand training sessions, as well as for teaching individuals with sensory impairments in other modalities.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

On the psychology of drinking: being thirsty and perceptually ready.

The present research is concerned with cognitive effects of habitually regulated primary motives. Specifically, two experiments tested the idea that feelings of thirst enhance the cognitive accessibility of, or readiness to perceive, action-relevant stimuli. In a task allegedly designed to assess mouth-detection skills, some participants were made to feel thirsty, whereas others were not. Results showed that participants who were made thirsty responded faster to drinking-related items in a lexical decision task, and performed better on an incidental recall task of drinking-related items, relative to no-thirst control participants. These results suggest that basic needs and motives, such as thirst, causes a heightened perceptual readiness to environmental cues that are instrumental in satisfying these needs.

Drinking Behavior↗
PubMed2003

[Remarks on the hearing theory].

Many remarks have been presented on the present-day theory of hearing. Some mechanisms connected with transforming auditory information have been discussed. One's own opinions have been presented on the possibility of existence of proteins which change their conformation when influenced by the energy of the sound wave. The mechanism mentioned above resembles the one existing in the organs of sight, smell and taste.

Auditory Perception↗
PubMed1987

Sensory influences on food intake and utilization in humans.

Sensory, particularly chemosensory, experiences play an important role in food intake as well as digestive and metabolic processes which influence nutrient utilization in humans. This review first presents evidence that the sensory properties of foods and the sensory capacities of individuals with marked, marginal or no apparent nutrient deficiencies influence dietary practices. This is followed by a consideration of data demonstrating an impact of oral sensory stimulation on salivary, gastric and both exocrine and endocrine pancreatic secretion. Next, because of the absence of human studies, animal models are described which demonstrate that chemosensory stimulation can alter nutrient absorption. Finally, studies on preterm infants are presented as evidence that oral stimulation alone can influence growth efficiency. While an understanding of these issues remains incomplete, applications of existing knowledge could hold important nutritional and clinical implications.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Breathlessness in humans activates insular cortex.

Dyspnea (shortness of breath, breathlessness) is a major and disabling symptom of heart and lung disease. The representation of dyspnea in the cerebral cortex is unknown. In the first study designed to explore the central neural structures underlying perception of dyspnea, we evoked the perception of severe 'air hunger' in healthy subjects by restraining ventilation below spontaneous levels while holding arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide levels constant. PET revealed that air hunger activated the insular cortex. The insula is a limbic structure also activated by visceral stimuli, temperature, taste, nausea and pain. Like dyspnea, such perceptions underlie behaviors essential to homeostasis and survival.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Food acceptance and genetic variation in taste.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if individuals who taste 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), one marker of genetic variation in taste, as exceptionally bitter can also perceive sugars as sweeter, other bitters as more intense, and dietary fats as more creamy and/or viscous than do individuals who taste PROP as weakly bitter. This study examined the association between genetic variation in taste and acceptance for sweet, high-fat, and bitter foods and beverages. DESIGN: Genetic variation was measured by perceived bitterness of PROP (influenced by genetic, hormonal, and pathologic factors) and density of fungiform papillae on the anterior portion of the tongue (influenced primarily by genetic factors). Four sweet, 3 fat, and 3 bitter groups were derived from principal components analyses of questionnaire items. SUBJECTS: Convenience sample of healthy adults (24 women, 22 men; mean age +/- standard deviation = 21 +/- 6 years) who did not report high dietary restraint. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Pearson product moment correlations between genetic taste measures and food and beverage groups. RESULTS: The sample showed diversity in genetic taste measures: perceived bitterness of 0.0032 mol/L PROP ranged from "weak" to well above "very strong"; fungiform papillae densities ranged from 33 to 156 papillae per square centimeter. Distribution of perceived bitterness of PROP and fungiform papillae density differed in women and men. The association between genetic taste measures and acceptance of sweet and high-fat groups differed in women and men. In women, liking of sweet and high-fat food and beverage groups decreased with increasing perceived bitterness of PROP. In men, liking of these foods and beverages increased but with increasing papillae densities. Genetic taste measures were not associated with a dislike of bitter food and beverage groups. APPLICATIONS: The influence of genetic variation in taste on food intake depends on how perceptible sweet, fat, or bitter components are in foods and beverages, as well as the value of sensory factors vs other factors (e.g., health, convenience) on personal dietary choices. Female supertasters of PROP bitterness may avoid high-fat or sweet foods because these oral sensations are too intense and thus less pleasant. Supertasters may taste more bitterness in vegetables but still enjoy eating them because of their healthfulness and because condiments (especially those that are salt based) can block bitterness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Chemosensory factors influencing alcohol perception, preferences, and consumption.

This article presents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2002 RSA/ISBRA Meeting in San Francisco, California, co-organized by Julie A. Mennella and Alexander A. Bachmanov of the Monell Chemical Senses Center. The goal of this symposium was to review the role that chemosensory factors (taste, smell, and chemical irritation) play in the perception, preference, and consumption of alcohol. The presented research focused on both humans and laboratory animals and used a variety of approaches including genetic, developmental, pharmacological, behavioral, and psychophysical studies. The presentations were as follows: (1) Introduction and overview of the chemical senses (Julie A. Mennella and Alexander A. Bachmanov); (2) Taste reactivity as a measure of alcohol palatability and its relation to alcohol consumption in rats (Stephen W. Kiefer); (3) Early learning about the sensory properties of alcohol in laboratory animals (Juan Carlos Molina); (4) Early learning about the sensory properties of alcohol in humans (Julie A. Mennella); (5) Genetic dissection of the ethanol-sweet taste relationship in mice (Alexander A. Bachmanov and Michael Tordoff); and (6) Human genetic variation in taste: connections with alcohol sensation and intake (Valerie B. Duffy and Linda M. Bartoshuk). The symposium concluded with a general discussion.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1983

Cream and sugar: human preferences for high-fat foods.

Sixteen normal-weight subjects rated the perceived intensity of sweetness, fatness, and creaminess of 20 different mixtures of milk, cream, and sugar, and assigned an overall pleasantness (hedonic) rating to each sample. Intensity estimates increased as power functions of ingredient concentration and no significant mixture suppression effect was observed. In contrast, hedonic responses strongly depended on the relative proportions of sucrose and fat in the samples tasted. Hedonic preference ratings first rose and then declined with increasing sucrose concentration, but continued to rise with increasing dairy fat content. The addition of sucrose greatly enhanced hedonic ratings for high-fat stimuli. Changes in hedonic responsiveness were monitored using a mathematical modelling technique known as the Response Surface Method, which allows computerized simulation of the hedonic response surface as a function of perceived ingredient levels. Overnight fasting did not affect the perception or hedonics for sweet or "fatty" tastes. The observed preference for sweetened high-fat foods may have implications for the development of dietary-induced obesity in man.

Adult↗