Dressing to Alleviate the Bitterness of Asteraceae Salad Vegetables

Abstract

Endive is a bitter Asteraceae vegetable and contains lactucopicrin-15-oxalate (LO) and a very small amount of lactucopicrin (L). The bitterness of L was much stronger than that of LO. LO was decomposed to L under neutral and weakly alkaline conditions, while the production of L was depressed under weakly acidic conditions. Organoleptic tests while eating endive leaves showed that the bitterness was more strongly felt during mastication and could be alleviated by using an acidic dressing. It is considered that L (the bitter compound) was produced from LO (the less bitter compound) when mixing the leaves with saliva in the oral cavity and that the production of L was inhibited by the acid contained in the dressing.