Effects of taste and smell sensitivity and salivary flow rates on the perception of semi-solid foods
René A. de Wijk1, Harold F. Bult1, Eric Dransfield2 & Jon F. Prinz3
1) WCFS/CICS;
2) WCFS;
3) WCFS/TNO-V, Netherlands. rene.dewijk@wur.nl
We investigated the role of taste and smell sensitivities of consumers in their perception of semi-solid foods. Taste and smell sensitivities may affect food sensations directly or indirectly via their effects on salivary flow rates. One hundred and twenty subjects were tested with regard to their threshold and supra-threshold sensitivities to four tastants (NaCl, sucrose, quinine, and citric acid) and one odorant (Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol).
The results indicated that:
1. Subjects who were sensitive to one tastant were typically also sensitive to other tastants, but not to the odorant.
2. Subjects who had relatively high salivary flow rates in response to one tastant, also showed relatively high flow rates in response to the other tastants.
3. Salivary flow rates were unrelated to sensitivities, except for NaCl.
4. Across subjects, flow rates varied with intensity rather than with tastant, i.e., at iso perceived intensities, all tastants elicited similar flow rates. Preliminary results indicated that perceived intensities of specific attributes (e.g. dairy taste) varied with the consumers’ sensitivity, whereas others (e.g. stickiness) varied with salivary flow rate or both (e.g., creaminess). Most effects were food-specific.