Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “taste perception”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 811 records · Page 45Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

PROP taster status is related to fat perception and preference.

Individuals who are sensitive to the bitter compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) are also more sensitive to selected bitter and sweet substances, to sharp foods and to the trigeminal irritant capsaicin. PROP tasters have a greater density of fungiform papillae, and it is speculated that they also have more trigeminal innervation. Since oral texture perception is also mediated, in part, by trigeminal fibers, it has been proposed that individual differences in fat perception might also be linked to PROP taster status and taste bud density. This work tests the hypothesis that individuals who are PROP tasters: (i) have a higher density of fungiform papillae; (ii) are more sensitive to capsaicin; and (iii) have increased ability to discriminate differences in fat content in salad dressing. Hedonic ratings for the salad dressing were also collected and related to the perceptual judgments. Individual subjects were classified as PROP nontasters, medium tasters or supertasters (n = 25/group) by comparing their psychophysical function for PROP to that of NaCl. Papillae densities (papillae/cm2) were significantly different among the three taster groups (p < 0.0001), and were highest among the supertasters. Both medium tasters and supertasters perceived more oral burn from capsaicin than did nontasters at concentrations of 50, 70 and 100 ppm (p < 0.0001). Medium tasters and supertasters could also discriminate differences in fat content between 40% fat and 10% fat salad dressings (p < 0.005), but the nontasters could not. Although medium and supertasters showed no preference for either dressing, the nontasters preferred the 40% fat sample. The reasons for these latter findings are unclear at present. These data support the hypothesis that fat perception and preference can be linked to genetic and anatomical differences between individuals.

Dietary Fats↗
PubMed1987

Taste and bulimia.

Binge-eating episodes in bulimia often involve sweet or fat-containing foods. Sensory perceptions and preferences for sweetness and fat content were examined in 16 normal-weight women with a diagnosis of DSM IIIR bulimia and in 16 normal-weight volunteer controls. Taste stimuli were 15 semi-liquid mixtures of dessert-type soft white cheese ("fromage blanc") containing 0, 3 or 7 grams of fat per 100 g, and sweetened with 1, 5, 10, 20, or 40% sucrose (wt./wt.). The subjects used 9-point category scales to rate the perceived sweetness and fat content of the stimuli, and assigned a pleasantness (hedonic) rating to each sample. Taste preferences were modelled using the Response Surface Method (RSM). Mean estimates of sweetness intensity and fat content were generally similar for bulimic patients and controls. In contrast, profiles of taste preference differed significantly between groups. Optimal stimulus sweetness was 15% sucrose wt./wt. for bulimic patients and only 9% for controls, while optimal fat levels were lower for bulimic patients relative to controls. The present data are consistent with previous reports that patients with eating disorders crave sweetness but show reduced sensory preferences for fat-containing foods.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Associations of social and demographic variables with calcium intakes of high school students.

OBJECTIVE: To assess usual calcium intake of urban high school students and to assess the association of social and demographic variables with calcium intake. DESIGN: A self-administered survey instrument containing the following elements: a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) developed to estimate calcium intake; questions to elicit demographic information; and scales to reflect taste enjoyment of dairy products, social reinforcement for consumption of milk, perceptions of others' opinions about milk, and behavioral modeling of milk consumption (ie, the frequency of observing friends' and family members' use of milk). The FFQ was shown to include major sources of calcium in diets of a pretest sample (n = 130). SETTING: Urban high schools in a metropolitan setting. SUBJECTS/SAMPLES: Students in one class per grade level in six high schools (approximately 900 students) were asked to participate. Of the 856 questionnaires completed, 785 were usable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Total calcium intake, as estimated using the FFQ. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Descriptive statistics, t tests, one-way analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used to assess relationships of independent variables with calcium intake. RESULTS: Mean estimated calcium intakes for male and female students were 1,146 +/- 41 mg/day (mean +/- standard error of the mean) and 815 +/- 26 mg/day (P < .001), respectively, 59% of which was obtained from milk. Median intakes were 1,016 mg/day for boys and 676 mg/day for girls, and more than half the students had intakes that were below current recommendations. Multiple regression analysis revealed significant predictors of total calcium intake: gender (boys > girls); taste enjoyment of dairy products; number of meals and snacks per day; age; ethnicity (whites > Asians); behavioral modeling of milk consumption; perceptions of others' opinions, recommendations, and use of milk; and soft drink consumption (total adjusted R2 = .304). With the exception of age, these variables were positively associated with calcium intake. Regression equations developed for boys and girls separately revealed that different variables entered the equations. APPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: Most of the variability in adolescents calcium intakes remained unexplained by the variables included in this study. Nevertheless, the results suggest that education programs focusing on taste enjoyment of dairy products and building on the influence of peers and family members may have a positive impact on calcium intake.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

"Smart" mechanisms emerging from cooperation and competition between modules.

Three sets of experiments are described. The first set concerns the detection of the 3-D possibility of shaded 2-D block patterns. The data indicate that the human perceptual system is able to do this above chance level, but in a specific and restricted way, which suggests the possibility of a module devoted to it. The second set concerns the determination of the 3-D orientation of coloured 2-D patterns. The data show that the human perceptual system uses physical constraints of colour mixing in doing this. Again, the mechanism seems to have characteristics suggesting modularity. The third set is about the detection of skewed symmetry in dot patterns. Skewed symmetry can be used as a source of information about the slant and tilt of a surface with bilateral symmetry present on it. Therefore, a module for recovering this information might exist. All these empirical data show that Fodor's criteria of modularity can be used to test hypotheses about visual mechanisms recovering 3-D information from 2-D inputs. But this does not imply that the results prove modularity and cannot be interpreted otherwise. As an exercise the same story about these experiments is told with the use of jargon from ecological realism and connectionist approaches. It is concluded that some of the approaches to some perceptual mechanisms are not as divergent as they might seem. The main theme underlying modular, connectionist, and ecological approaches is the avoidance of central intelligence agencies by the incorporation of physical constraints. Within this broad framework different questions can be asked and answers attempted that may depend on personal taste.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Is there a parotid-salivary reflex response to fat stimulation in humans?

The perception of fats in foods may involve gustatory, olfactory or textural cues. There is contradictory evidence as to whether the orosensory perception of fat is as a basic quality of taste or related to the physical characteristics of fat. A dose-response reflex parotid-salivary secretion has, however, been shown for the accepted basic taste qualities. The aim of this study was to establish whether varying fat concentration in two food types causes an associated dose-response reflex parotid secretion in humans. Parotid salivary flow was recorded using Lashley cups and cannulae connected to an instantaneous flow meter. Gustatory stimuli were achieved using 3 ml of skimmed (0.1% fat), semi-skimmed (1.7% fat) or full (3.6% fat) milk (Sainsbury) or 5 g of extra-light (5% fat), light (16% fat) or original (24% fat) cream cheese (Kraft). No significant differences in salivary flow rate were shown within the milk group (n=10, P=.93) or within the cream-cheese group (n=11, P=.82). Furthermore, no correlation was observed between increasing fat concentration and flow within either the milk (P=.98) or the cream-cheese group (P=.69; Pearson Product Moment Correlation). These results do not support the hypothesis that there is a fat-specific dose-response parotid reflex.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

"Back from the future": a powerful age-progression technique.

This paper briefly reviews the benefits of using age-progression techniques in hypnotherapy, followed by a detailed explanation and illustration of the "back-from-the-future" technique with two case examples, including their outcome. The patients presented with feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and a sense of futurelessness. Following the hypnotherapeutic intervention, patients were instructed to take time to reflect on the session and to write down the specific experiences they had on their voyage into the future focusing on their visual images, auditory sensations, experiences with other senses (touch, smell, and taste), as well as thoughts, emotions, and self-perceptions. Follow-up validated that the patients maintained their therapeutic accomplishments several months after the initial interventions.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Quality of life in advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma after chemoradiation versus surgery and radiation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this cohort study from a tertiary academic university practice was to identify differences in patients' perceived quality of life after either chemoradiation or surgery and radiation for advanced-stage oropharyngeal carcinoma. METHODS: From institutional databases, thirty-five patients were identified who had undergone either primary chemoradiation or primary surgery and postoperative radiation for advanced oropharyngeal cancer (stage II-IV). Patients voluntarily responded by mail using the University of Washington quality-of-life instrument version 4 (UW-QOL). Data were analyzed using chi and Wilcoxon tests. RESULTS: There were 17 patients who underwent chemoradiation and 18 patients who underwent surgery and postoperative radiation. All surgical patients had undergone free-flap reconstruction. Patients completed the UW-QOL an average of 25 months after treatment. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups with regard to any specific domain, including pain, appearance, swallowing, chewing, speech, saliva, or mood. There was a trend toward significance for taste (P = .07) with chemoradiation patients reporting poorer taste function. The lack of difference in the patients' perception of appearance and swallowing was rather surprising given the vastly different treatment modalities. Respondents reported equivalent overall quality of life in response to global quality-of-life questions. CONCLUSION: Most patients with advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma report good quality of life after treatment, regardless of treatment modality. Although the short-term side effects of treatment may be different between the groups, long-term quality of life is remarkably similar whether the patients choose primary chemoradiation or surgery with postoperative radiation.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed2001

Three exploratory studies of relations between young adults' preference for activities involving a specific sense modality and sensory attributes of early memories.

Three studies explored whether young adults' preference for using a sense modality, e.g., hearing, correlated with presence or clarity of attributes of that sense modality in earliest memories from childhood, elementary school, or high school. In Study 1, 75 graduates or seniors in fine arts, fashion merchandising, music, conducting, or dance showed no greater frequency or clarity of any modality's sensory attributes. In Study 2, 213 beginning university students' ratings of current importance of activities emphasizing a sense modality correlated with sensory contents of recollections only for smell and taste. In Study 3, 102 beginning students' ratings of current enjoyment in using a sense modality and sensory contents of recollections were correlated and involved every modality except vision.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Bitter taste of saccharin and acesulfame-K.

The relationships among suprathreshold taste responses to acesulfame-K, Na-saccharin and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) were examined in two studies. In the first study, the labeled magnitude scale was used with the high anchor labeled as 'strongest imaginable oral sensation' and in the second study, it was labeled as 'strongest imaginable sensation of any kind'. Results from the two procedures were similar. Individual differences among 65 subjects were seen in bitter responses to acesulfame-K and saccharin. Bitter responses to acesulfame-K ands accharin were positively correlated, but showed no significant relationship with responses to PROP bitterness or with PROP taster groups. Saccharin and acesulfame-K may share a common mechanism for bitter taste reception and transduction, one that varies across individuals and is different from mechanisms mediating bitter responses to PROP. Changing the instructions of the labeled magnitude scale induced a context effect. Ratings of sweetness referenced to the 'strongest imaginable sensationof any kind' were lower than ratings referenced to just oral sensations.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Temporal codes and computations for sensory representation and scene analysis.

This paper considers a space of possible temporal codes, surveys neurophysiological and psychological evidence for their use in nervous systems, and presents examples of neural timing networks that operate in the time-domain. Sensory qualities can be encoded temporally by means of two broad strategies: stimulus-driven temporal correlations (phase-locking) and stimulus-triggering of endogenous temporal response patterns. Evidence for stimulus-related spike timing patterns exists in nearly every sensory modality, and such information can be potentially utilized for representation of stimulus qualities, localization of sources, and perceptual grouping. Multiple strategies for temporal (time, frequency, and code-division) multiplexing of information for transmission and grouping are outlined. Using delays and multiplications (coincidences), neural timing networks perform time-domain signal processing operations to compare, extract and separate temporal patterns. Separation of synthetic double vowels by a recurrent neural timing network is used to illustrate how coherences in temporal fine structure can be exploited to build up and separate periodic signals with different fundamentals. Timing nets constitute a time-domain scene analysis strategy based on temporal pattern invariance rather than feature-based labeling, segregation and binding of channels. Further potential implications of temporal codes and computations for new kinds of neural networks are explored.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1990

Auditory food cue conditioning: effects of spatial contiguity and taste quality.

The effects of spatial location of an auditory stimulus and quality of a potentiating taste on the aversive conditioning of an auditory food cue were investigated. In Experiment 1 rats ate salty food activating a tone from a speaker either in (spatially contiguous with) or displaced from the food and were then made ill. It was found that spatial contiguity during conditioning resulted in avoidance of food with a contiguous or a displaced tone in testing, and spatial displacement during conditioning resulted in avoidance of food only if the tone was also displaced in testing. Experiment 2 was identical, except rats ate salty, bitter, or sweet food with a displaced tone during conditioning and testing. The salty and bitter food groups demonstrated an avoidance of noisy food relative to the sweet food group. These results indicate that spatial contiguity interacts with taste quality in the conditioning of nongustatory food cues.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Effects of aspartame and sucrose on hunger and energy intake in humans.

Physiological and behavioral responses to high intensity sweeteners have been poorly characterized, leading to questions regarding their utility in weight management regimens. To address this issue, studies must independently control attributes such as the taste properties, chemical composition and energy contribution of a given sweetener, as well as subject expectations of its effects. In the present study, 24 adults of normal weight consumed breakfasts including unsweetened or sweetened (sucrose or aspartame) cereal for 5 days, during which hunger and energy intake were monitored. The cereals were rated as equally sweet and pleasant and were equicaloric. Half of the subjects were aware of the cereal composition. Neither sweet taste nor aspartame alone significantly affected reported hunger, daily energy intake or subsequent selection of foods with varying taste qualities. Energy intake tended to be more strongly influenced by perceptions of the energy value of the experimental breakfast. Thus, this study failed to find an appetite stimulating effect of either sweetness or sweetener (aspartame or sucrose).

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Controlled continuous flow delivery system for investigating taste-aroma interactions.

A multichannel flavor delivery system, Dynataste, was developed. Controlled amounts of isoamyl acetate (100 ppm) and sucrose (0-3%) solution was administered to experienced and naïve assessors who used time intensity techniques to record perceived 'fruit' flavor intensity. In-nose volatile delivery was monitored using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry. Results indicated that sucrose is a key driver of fruit flavor intensity but that the magnitude of the effect varies between individuals. The combined temporal analysis of chemical stimuli in vivo and sensory data indicate evidence of interactions at a perceptual level. Comparison of experienced and naïve assessors revealed cross-modal interactions in each group, although a subgroup of experienced assessors was unaffected by changes in sucrose concentration. This raises the question of the selected use of experienced panels in cross modal investigations.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Sensory stimulation and energy density in the development of satiety.

To determine the contribution of sensory stimulation to the changing hedonic response to foods, the effects of consuming very low-calorie and higher calorie versions of soup and jello on the subjective pleasantness of foods were compared. Subjects were 24 normal weight females with low dietary restraint. Half the subjects were given test meals of low- and high-calorie tomato soup and half were given low- and high-calorie orange jello. They rated the pleasantness of the appearance, smell, texture and taste of nine sample foods as well as hunger and stomach fullness before and 2, 20, 40 and 60 min after consumption of the test meal. After the 60 min rating subjects were offered as much as they wanted to eat of a second course of cheese on crackers. Despite differences in the energy density of the test meals, there were no significant differences in the weights of food eaten in either the first or second course and no significant compensation in the second course for the energy differences of the first course. No differential effects of the caloric manipulation were observed in terms of hunger or fullness or in the development, time course and magnitude of sensory-specific satiety. That very low-calorie foods can produce sensory-specific satiety indicates that the sensory properties of foods are important for the changing hedonic response to foods as they are consumed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Perceptual learning in humans: roles of preexposure schedule, feedback, and discrimination assay.

In three experiments, humans received preexposure to two compound flavours (AX and BX: saline-lemon and sucrose-lemon) that were presented either in an intermixed (e.g., AX, BX,...BX, AX,...) or a blocked (e.g., AX, AX,...BX, BX...) fashion. Subsequently, AX was paired with an unpleasant bitter taste, and the discriminability of AX and BX was assessed using the accuracy of same/different judgements and by the extent to which any learned dislike of AX generalized to BX. When participants received feedback about the accuracy of their same/different judgements during preexposure those given intermixed preexposure were more accurate in making these judgements during the test than those given blocked preexposure (Experiments 1 and 2A), however, there was no evidence of any learned dislike in these experiments. In Experiment 2B, in which participants did not receive feedback about the accuracy of their judgements, there was no effect of the preexposure regime on same/different judgements, but there was a learned dislike of AX, and this generalized less to BX in participants given intermixed than in those given blocked preexposure. The beneficial effects of intermixed preexposure are consistent with results from other species (chicks and rats), but the differences created by the presence or absence of feedback place constraints on the analysis of these effects.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The choice of fat-free vs. regular-fat fudge: the effects of liking for the alternative and the restraint status.

Non-restrained and restrained American women (N=157) chose a portion of a fat-free or regular-fat hot fudge, to be eaten on a portion of fat-free or regular-fat (depending on the experimental condition) ice cream. The subjects had tasted and rated samples of both fudge and ice cream earlier in the same session and, prior to the choice, they were informed of their own hedonic ratings of both fudges and of the respective fat contents ("fat-free" vs. "regular-fat"). The higher the hedonic difference (fat-free minus regular-fat) between hot fudge samples and the higher the individual restraint score, the more likely was the choice of the fat-free option. Also, the less hungry the subjects were prior to testing, the more likely they were to choose the fat-free version. On average, the hedonic difference between the hot fudge samples was roughly -0.5 for those choosing the fat-free option, while the corresponding value for subjects choosing the regular-fat version was -3 (9-point scale). The type of ice cream did not affect the choice. The data demonstrate the effects of a food (its hedonic quality), person (restrained status), and context (perceived hunger) on food choice.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

How sensory properties of foods affect human feeding behavior.

The sensory properties of food which can lead to a decrease in the pleasantness of that food after it is eaten, and to enhanced food intake if that property of the food is changed by successive presentation of different foods, were investigated. After eating chocolates of one color the pleasantness of the taste of the eaten color declined more than of the non-eaten colors, although these chocolates differed only in appearance. The presentation of a variety of colors of chocolates, either simultaneously or successively, did not affect food intake compared with consumption of the subject's favorite color. Changes in the shape of food (which affects both appearance and mouth feel) were introduced by offering subjects three successive courses consisting of different shapes of pasta. Changes in shape led to a specific decrease in the pleasantness of the shape eaten and to a significant enhancement (14%) of food intake when three shapes were offered compared with intake of the subject's favorite shape. Changes in just the flavor of food (i.e., cream cheese sandwiches flavored with salt, or with the non-nutritive flavoring agents lemon and saccharin, or curry) led to a significant enhancement (15%) of food intake when all three flavors were presented successively compared with intake of the favorite. The experiments elucidate some of the properties of food which are involved in sensory specific satiety, and which determine the amount of food eaten.

Adolescent↗