Abstract
The effect of the viscosity of cornstarch on the taste intensity of the saltiness of NaCl and of the sweetness of sugar was studied by using the magnitude estimation technique with a 0.9 wt. % NaCl solution and a 10 wt. % sugar solution, no added cornstarch being used as the standard. The perceived taste intensity of both saltiness and sweetness was not changed from the standard with a 4 wt. %cornstarch solution, but was reduced with the 8 and 10 wt. % cornstarch solutions. The salty and sweet tastes with 10 wt. % cornstarch were 80% and 65% of the standard values, respectively. Viscosity at a shear rate 50 s-1 was increased markedly in solutions with a cornstarch concentration of more than 2 wt. %. These results suggest that the perceived taste intensity of saltiness and sweetness was decreased by the highly viscous starch solutions.
