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 1,243 records · Page 69Linked to original sources

Patients' perceptions of route of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug administration and its effect on analgesia.

OBJECTIVE: There is a commonly held belief among health care providers that patients respond better to parenteral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) than to oral forms by virtue of the patients' belief that getting an injection means they are receiving "stronger" medicine. To the authors' knowledge, this effect has never been adequately documented in the literature. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of a placebo analgesic injection vs placebo oral analgesia on patients with acute musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: A convenience sample of emergency department (ED) patients with acute musculoskeletal pain secondary to trauma were enrolled. Patients received 225 mL of orange-flavored drink containing 800 mg of ibuprofen. Patients then received either a physiologically inactive starch tablet resembling ibuprofen 800 mg in taste and appearance or a physiologically inactive saline intramuscular (IM) injection resembling ketorolac 60 mg. Both patients and research nurses were blinded to the addition of ibuprofen to the drink and the inactive nature of subsequent medication. Pain was evaluated at time 0 and at 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes on a 10-mm visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: Sixty-four patients completed the study protocol. The VAS scores between groups did not differ significantly at baseline or at each subsequent interval (p = 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: These results contradict the belief that parenteral medications confer a selective placebo effect stemming from patients' beliefs regarding route of administration and efficacy. Therefore, the routine use of IM administration of NSAIDs for suspected enhanced analgesia appears unwarranted.

Administration, Oral↗

Adolescent acceptance of different foods by obesity status and by sex.

This work investigated possible differences in food preference between obese and normal-weight adolescents, as well as between female and male seventh-grade pupils (average age = 13.1 years). Survey of affinities for nine food groups was determined with a facial hedonic scale. The children were divided according to their BMI into normal-weight and obese group, respectively. In this sample of adolescents, we could not find any proof for the theory of increased preference for fattening foods by obese compared to normal-weight people. In fact, our normal-weight group showed greater liking of sweets, meat, and cereals than the obese group. Normal-weight boys also preferred meat and sweets more than normal-weight girls. We consider psychological and social factors (e.g., perception of ideal body shape or social stigmatism of obesity) as the most logical explanations for the observed differences. Further research should clarify whether food preference plays a significant role in the etiology of adolescent obesity.

Adolescent↗

Biosensor measurements of polar phenolics for the assessment of the bitterness and pungency of virgin olive oil.

Bitterness and pungency, sensory quality attributes of virgin olive oil, are related to the presence of phenolic compounds. Fast and reliable alternatives for the evaluation of sensory attributes and phenolic content are desirable, as sensory and traditional analytical methods are time-consuming and expensive. In this study, two amperometric enzyme-based biosensors (employing tyrosinase or peroxidase) for rapid measurement of polar phenolics of olive oil were tested. The biosensor was constructed using disposable screen-printed carbon electrodes with the enzyme as biorecognition element. The sensor was coupled with a simple extraction procedure and optimized for use in flow injection analysis. The performance of the biosensor was assessed by measuring a set of virgin olive oils and comparing the results with data obtained by the reference HPLC method and sensory scores. The correlations between the tyrosinase- and peroxidase-based biosensors and phenolic content in the samples were high (r = 0.82 and 0.87, respectively), which, together with a good repeatability (rsd = 6%), suggests that these biosensors may represent a promising tool in the analysis of the total content of phenolics in virgin olive oils. The correlation with sensory quality attributes of virgin olive oil was lower, which illustrates the complexity of sensory perception. The two biosensors possessed different specificities toward different groups of phenolics, affecting bitterness and pungency prediction. The peroxidase-based biosensor showed a significant correlation (r = 0.66) with pungency.

Biosensing Techniques↗

Activity of neurones in the inferotemporal cortex of the alert monkey.

The activity of neurones in the inferotemporal cortex of the alert rhesus monkey was recorded while the monkey was shown visual stimuli, which included both food and non-food objects for comparison with the activity of neurones in the lateral hypothalamus and substantia innominata. In the anteroventral part of the inferotemporal cortex, neurones were found with visual responses which were sustained while the animal looked at the appropriate visual stimuli. The latency of the responses was 100 msec or more. The majority (96/142 or 68%) of these neurones responded more strongly to some stimuli than to others. These units usually had different responses when objects were shown from different views, and physical factors such as shape, size, orientation, colour and texture appeared to account for the responses of some of these units. Association of visual stimuli with a food reward (glucose solution) or an aversive taste (5% saline solution) did not affect the magnitude of the responses of the neurones to the stimuli either during the learning or after the period of learning. Nor did feeding the monkey to satiety affect the responses of the neurones to their effective stimuli.

Animals↗

Sensory perception of patients on selected antineoplastic chemotherapy protocols.

Antineoplastic chemotherapy (ANCT) is a primary and adjuvant treatment modality for cancer. Although researchers have found that patients who are given preparatory sensory information before various health-care procedures experience less discomfort, literature describing subject's sensory experience before, during, and after ANCT is lacking. The purpose of this study was to elicit sensory responses from subjects before, during, and after one of six cycles of their initial course of treatment on one of two emetogenic ANCT protocols. These descriptions will be used to develop a preparatory sensory nursing intervention that may promote self-care and help cancer patients cope with the distress of chemotherapy. The Sensory Information Questionnaire was administered to a sample of 44 subjects who had just completed a cycle of ANCT. Subjects provided descriptors of all senses. The senses for which subjects most frequently provided descriptors were taste, touch, and smell. Descriptors varied for some sensations according to the chemotherapy drug protocols.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

From asparagus to zucchini: mapping cognitive space for vegetable names.

OBJECTIVE: To map the perceptual space for 20 common vegetables using multidimensional scaling (MDS) techniques. METHODS: The subjects, 150 adult men and women, were asked to judge the similarity of pairs of vegetable names and rate their compatibility when served together. The subjects also rated the vegetables along 30 attribute scales and rated their preferences for each item. Data analyses employed SINDSCAL and property-fitting (PROFIT) programs as well as correlation and hierarchical clustering (HICLUS) analyses. RESULTS: The principal dimensions of perceptual space for vegetable names were calories, color, and convenience. Preferences were most strongly linked to convenience and versatility. Liking was also influenced by taste: the most disliked vegetables were those that were perceived as bitter. Compatibility was most strongly influenced by color contrast. The most acceptable vegetable pairs were those that combined green and non-green vegetables. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying psychological rules that guide the inclusion of vegetables in the diet may facilitate behavioral change strategies aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption by the American public.

Adult↗

Odor/taste integration and the perception of flavor.

Perceptions of the flavors of foods or beverages reflect information derived from multiple sensory afferents, including gustatory, olfactory, and somatosensory fibers. Although flavor perception therefore arises from the central integration of multiple sensory inputs, it is possible to distinguish the different modalities contributing to flavor, especially when attention is drawn to particular sensory characteristics. Nevertheless, our experiences of the flavor of a food or beverage are also simultaneously of an overall unitary perception. Research aimed at understanding the mechanisms behind this integrated flavor perception is, for the most part, relatively recent. However, psychophysical, neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies on cross-modal sensory interactions involved in flavor perception have started to provide an understanding of the integrated activity of sensory systems that generate such unitary perceptions, and hence the mechanisms by which these signals are "functionally united when anatomically separated". Here we review this recent research on odor/taste integration, and propose a model of flavor processing that depends on prior experience with the particular combination of sensory inputs, temporal and spatial concurrence, and attentional allocation. We propose that flavor perception depends upon neural processes occurring in chemosensory regions of the brain, including the anterior insula, frontal operculum, orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, as well as upon the interaction of this chemosensory "flavor network" with other heteromodal regions including the posterior parietal cortex and possibly the ventral lateral prefrontal cortex.

Animals↗

Effects of debittering on grapefruit juice acceptance.

This study was conducted to assess the acceptance of grapefruit juice which has undergone a debittering process. The sensory effect of debittering and the sensory attributes of sourness, sweetness, bitterness, and aftertaste were appraised, and the correlation between chemical and sensory analyses of the debittered juice were identified. The effect of added grapefruit flavor on perception of sweetness and sourness was statistically significant. Both the level of bitterness and storage duration of grapefruit were shown to influence the way judges perceived bitterness and sweetness. Storage study showed no difference in aftertaste, which may increase consumers buying interest in debittered juice with a high level of bitterness (450 ppm).

Beverages↗

Comparison of ease of swallowing of dietary supplement products for age-related eye disease.

OBJECTIVE: To examine patients' perceptions on the relative importance of the physical characteristics and appearance of dietary supplements, and to evaluate two supplements with the same combination of vitamins and minerals used in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) with respect to ease of swallowing and other features in elderly patients. DESIGN: A single-site, single-visit, crossover design, subject-masked comparison of two dietary supplements (ICaps AREDS Formula--Alcon; Ocuvite PreserVision-Bausch & Lomb). SETTING: Ophthalmology practice. PATIENTS: 50 patients aged 50 years or older. INTERVENTIONS: Patients ranked the importance of eight physical characteristics of a vitamin tablet or capsule (ease of swallowing, size, shape, color, smell, coating, texture, and taste) irrespective of the test products used in the study and then took both test products randomly and were asked to indicate which product they preferred based on the same eight characteristics. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall patient preference and preference for swallowing two tablets at once. RESULTS: The highest rated (most important) characteristic in a vitamin supplement was ease of swallowing, with a median score of 9.0 on a 0-10 visual analogue scale. The characteristic of least importance was tablet color, with the lowest median score of 1.0. Statistically significant differences were detected between the products with regard to preferences for ease of swallowing, swallowing two tablets at once, size, and coating (P < or = .0001). Significantly more patients preferred the ICaps AREDS formula to Ocuvite PreserVision with respect to these characteristics and overall preference (P < .001). Age, gender, and previous vitamin use were contributing factors in the rating of physical characteristics and tablet preferences. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, ease of swallowing is the most important characteristic of dietary supplement tablets for elderly patients, followed by taste, size, and smell. Significant differences in preference exist between the study products, which contain similar formulations but have different physical characteristics.

Aged↗

Exploring children's conceptions of smoking addiction.

Tobacco addiction is a major health problem for both adults and young people--between 20 and 60% of adolescents are dependent on nicotine and more than two-thirds who attempt to quit experience withdrawal symptoms. Yet, anti-smoking efforts targeted at children emphasize primary prevention and ignore addiction education, which is generally considered relevant only to adult smoking and cessation efforts. This study reports children's concepts of smoking and addiction from interviews with 32 Western Australian boys and girls, aged 9-10 years, all non-smokers. Results suggest children's concepts of smoking addiction may influence attitudes toward smoking trials. Children who thought addiction happened immediately were committed to never smoke at all. Others who thought addiction happened after several cigarettes expressed intentions to experiment. These children believed they could avoid addiction by smoking less than the number of cigarettes that caused addiction. Children who defined addiction as 'liking' or 'enjoying the taste of cigarettes' believed they could avoid being 'hooked' as long as they managed to avoid enjoying the experience. Recent findings that children can get 'hooked' within a few days of smoking highlight the importance of addiction strategies targeted at children, particularly in relation to influencing intentions to experiment with smoking.

Australia↗

Sensory perceptions of women receiving tamoxifen for breast cancer.

Tamoxifen has been used as adjuvant treatment in advanced and early-stage breast cancer for the past decade. Recently this synthetic antiestrogen drug assumed a new role of chemoprevention for women at risk of developing breast cancer. The commonly occurring side effects associated with tamoxifen administration contribute to the acceptance of this antineoplastic drug for palliation and cure. However, there are no data about the sensory effects of women receiving tamoxifen. The purpose of this study was to elicit subjects' descriptions of sensory experiences while receiving tamoxifen. These descriptions are essential for developing nursing interventions to help patients use self-care behaviors and cope with the side effects of tamoxifen. Sensory data were collected from 20 women who had been receiving tamoxifen for at least 1 month and were not receiving any other chemotherapy. Subjects provided descriptors about all senses. The senses for which subjects most frequently provided descriptors were touch, taste, and sight.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Establishing dietary habits during childhood for long-term weight control.

OBJECTIVE: To review psychosocial research with respect to relevance for the development of nutritional education strategies for optimal weight control during childhood and the longer term. RESULTS: Recent decades have witnessed changes in the social context of eating, with a trend away from family meals towards grazing and eating alone. At the same time, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing amongst both children and adults, with even young children deliberately practising weight control measures, ranging from selective food choice to self-induced vomiting. Such behaviour is motivated by unrealistic perceptions of healthy body weight and shape. Successful long-term management of healthy body weight is supported by flexible control of eating behaviour and long-term educational strategies. Children are interested in learning about a wide range of nutrition topics. However, to be effective, nutrition education should be appropriate to the stage of cognitive development according to the age of the child, and be placed in the context of the direct, perceivable and immediate benefits resulting from good nutrition. CONCLUSION: Educational strategies should focus on consumption of a balanced diet, coupled with provision of a variety of foods, including a range of nutrient-dense "healthy" food and encouraging children to taste unfamiliar dishes. They should provide a stable and predictive pattern of social eating occasions to promote the social meaning and importance of eating, and to enable social learning of food preferences. Educational strategies should provide orientation and reassurance regarding the range of healthy and acceptable body weights and shapes. They should also encourage flexible control of eating behaviour to enable children to maintain their weight within this healthy range.

Adolescent↗

Chemical, physical, and sensory characteristics of mozzarella cheese fortified using protein-chelated iron or ferric chloride.

Mozzarella cheese containing 25 and 50 mg of iron/kg of cheese was manufactured from milk that had been fortified with casein-chelated iron, whey protein-chelated iron, or FeCl3. Chemical, physical, and sensory characteristics were compared with those of a control cheese. Physical properties were assessed by testing melting, apparent viscosity, and browning of heated cheese. Cheeses were evaluated by trained panelists for the presence of metallic flavors, oxidized flavors, and other undesirable flavors. Addition of 25 mg iron/kg of cheese had no effects on the physical properties of Mozzarella cheese. Apparent viscosity of cheese fortified with 50 mg of iron/kg of cheese tended to be slightly higher than the control cheese, although this difference was not statistically significant at all storage times. Cook color was not affected by iron fortification. No increase in chemical oxidation (measured using thiobarbituric acid assay) was observed between the control and iron-fortified cheeses. Slight but statistically significant increases in metallic flavors, oxidized flavors, and off-flavors in the iron-fortified cheese were observed by the trained sensory panel, but the flavor defects were of very low intensity. For metallic flavors, oxidized flavors, and off-flavors, the control cheese scored 1.5, 1.5, and 1.3, respectively; the iron-fortified cheese scored 2.1, 2.0, and 1.6 based on a nine-point scale (where 1 = not perceptible to 3 = slightly perceptible). Sensory scores for iron-fortified cheese made using casein-chelated iron or whey protein-chelated iron was not significantly different from those of cheese made using ferric chloride. When used on pizza, consumer panels rated the iron-fortified cheeses as comparable with the control cheese.

Caseins↗

Psychosocial factors associated with fruit and vegetable consumption.

PURPOSE: This study examined the relationship between various psychosocial factors and fruit and vegetable consumption. DESIGN: The 5 A Day Baseline Survey, conducted in August 1991, just before the initiation of the 5 A Day for Better Health Program, obtained data on adults' intakes of, and their knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes regarding, fruits and vegetables. SETTING: The survey was conducted by telephone. SUBJECTS: Subjects were 2811 adults (response rate, 43%) aged 18 years and older in the 48 coterminous United States. MEASURES: Fruit and vegetable intake was measured as self-reported frequency of use; most of the psychosocial variables were measured using Likert scales. RESULTS: This study estimates that only 8% of American adults thought that five or more servings of fruits and vegetables were needed for good health. Of the factors studied, the most important in determining someone's fruit and vegetable intake were the number of servings they thought they should have in a day, whether they liked the taste, and whether they had been in the habit of eating many fruits and vegetables since childhood. These few factors accounted for 15% more of the variation in fruit and vegetable consumption than did demographic variables alone (8%). CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition education should stress the need to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day because few adults are aware of this recommendation and such knowledge is strongly associated with increased intake. Furthermore, efforts to increase the palatability of fruits and vegetables, especially among children, should be promoted.

Adolescent↗

Selective attention and place navigation in rats treated prenatally with methylazoxymethanol.

Prenatal treatment of rats on gestation day 15 with methylazoxymethanol (MAM) caused forebrain microencephaly. The behavioral analyses included measures of spontaneous motor activity and tests for cognitive deficits, and were performed when the rats had reached adult age. Female MAM-treated rats failed to demonstrate contextual control of latent inhibition, which confirms earlier findings with male rats. Male MAM-treated rats demonstrated a notable impairment of place navigation in a swim-maze, but showed as strong sensory preconditioning as the control animals. Biochemical analyses indicated considerable increases in catecholamine levels in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and striatum. The cognitive deficits, characterised by the various conditioning (taste-aversion) and instrumental learning (swim-maze) tasks, suggested that the MAM rats are deficient in their capacity to attend selectively to the relevant stimulus in complex arrangements of the stimulus situation.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗

Perception of gastroesophageal reflux disease in urban population in Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and health care seeking behavior of patients with gastroesophageal reflux symptoms using American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) questionnaire for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from April 2002 to November 2003. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 1267 persons above 15 years of age were interviewed using a modified questionnaire for GERD from the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), which previously validated in our section as a screening tool in an urban population in Pakistan. RESULTS: Nine hundred and sixty-three individuals responded to the questionnaire. Mean age of the surveyed sample was 24+/-9.3 years. Using the ACG criteria, the overall frequency of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms was 24% (228/963) with 58% (133/228) males and 42% (95/228) females. Symptoms experienced frequently were reflux from the stomach, 58% (133/228), with a bitter, acid taste in the mouth. Seventy-four percent (169/228) experienced this postprandially. Symptoms were associated with spicy fried food in 71% (161/228). Sixty-seven percent (152/228) did not seek health care advice, 32% (74/228) practiced self-medications and 33% (76/228) consulted a physician. CONCLUSION: Gastroesophageal reflux is a common problem in the urban population of Pakistan.

Adolescent↗

Sensory investigation of yogurt flavor perception: mutual influence of volatiles and acidity.

The sensory properties of traditional acidic and mild, less acidic yogurts were characterized by a trained panel using a descriptive approach. Many of the descriptive attributes varied almost linearly with pH, showing either a positive or negative correlation with increasing acidity. The panel was very sensitive to acidity differences, as demonstrated by the linear relationship between acidity perception and pH. Important flavor differences were found between the two classes of yogurt. They were mainly due to differences in acidity and not to different concentrations of the three impact aroma compounds, acetaldehyde, 2,3-butanedione, and 2, 3-pentanedione. This emphasizes the importance of acidity in yogurt flavor. Deodorization and impact aroma compound addition had much less influence on yogurt flavor than pH variations.

Hydrogen-Ion Concentration↗

Definitions of healthy eating among university students.

PURPOSE: To identify definitions of healthy eating in terms of food characteristics, eating behaviours, barriers, and benefits in university students. METHODS: Four focus groups were conducted; verbatim transcripts were analyzed and coded using qualitative methods. Participants were nine students of dietetics and six students of other subjects. All were females in their third or fourth year at the University of British Columbia (UBC). RESULTS: Participants often described healthy eating as consuming all food groups of Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating, with the associated notions of moderation and balance. Benefits of healthy eating were cited as a healthy weight, good physical appearance, feeling better, preventing disease, and achieving personal satisfaction. Barriers to healthy eating included lack of time, choice, taste preferences, and finances. There was some discrepancy between what the dietetics students perceived as barriers for clients (e.g., lack of information), and barriers the potential clients (other students) perceived for themselves. CONCLUSIONS: As dietitians, we must try to understand our clients' definitions of healthy eating and their barriers to achieving it, which likely differ from our own.

Adult↗