Original Paper
Changes of Basic Gustatory Thresholds and Gustatory Intensities by Thickener Addition
2014 Volume 18 Issue 2 Pages 131-140
Details
2014 Volume 18 Issue 2 Pages 131-140
Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate how thickeners alter gustatory thresholds as well as gustatory intensities by adding them to three solutions differing in taste (sweet, salty, or sour).
Subjects and Methods: The subjects were 16 healthy adults. The solutions were flavored with sucrose for sweetness, sodium chloride for saltiness, or tartrate for sourness. We used “Toromi Pawah Sumairu®” as the thickener. Three differently flavored solutions were not thickened or thickened with either a 1% thickener or 2% thickener solution. Taste thresholds were measured using test solutions with one of six different concentrations of a flavoring substance. Taste intensities were measured using 1% thickener or 2% thickener test solutions with reference to the taste intensity of the thickener-free test solutions.
Subjects were requested to assess taste intensities on a scale of －3 to ＋3 (7 grades).
Results: 1. Taste thresholds: Taste thresholds for sweetness were significantly higher in the 2% thickener solution than in the thickener-free one (p＜0.05). There was no significant difference in the thresholds for saltiness among the test solutions. Concerning sourness, taste thresholds were significantly higher in increasing order of the 2% thickener, 1% thickener, and thickener-free solutions.
2. Taste intensities: Taste intensities for sweetness were significantly lower in the 2% thickener solution than in the 1% thickener solution and in the thickener-free one (p＜0.01). There was no significant difference in the intensities for saltiness among the test solutions. Concerning sourness, taste intensities were significantly lower in increasing order of the 2% thickener, 1% thickener, and thickener-free solutions (p＜0.001).
Conclusion: It was found that generally an increase in liquid viscosity caused by adding a thickener raised taste thresholds and lowered taste intensities. It is considered that there may have been components in the thickener that caused different changes in taste.
