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07:10
Taste Exam: A Brief and Validated Test
Published on: August 17, 2018
Taste-nutrient relationships in commonly consumed foods.
Mirre Viskaal van Dongen1, Marjolijn C van den Berg, Nicole Vink
1Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, The Netherlands. mirre.viskaal-vandongen@wur.nl
The British Journal of Nutrition
|October 25, 2011
Summary
Taste signals nutrient content, especially sugars, protein, and sodium in less processed foods. However, this sensory link is weakened in highly processed foods, limiting nutrient detection.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Science
- Sensory Science
- Food Science
Background:
- Taste perception is traditionally linked to a food's nutrient value.
- Modern diets high in processed foods may alter this relationship.
- Understanding taste as a nutrient sensor is crucial for dietary guidance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if taste intensity correlates with nutrient content in common foods.
- To determine how food processing affects the taste-nutrient association.
- To identify taste-based food groupings and their nutrient profiles.
Main Methods:
- Fifty common foods were assessed for the intensity of five basic tastes by 19 subjects.
- Linear regression analyzed taste-nutrient associations.
- Cluster analysis grouped foods by taste, followed by ANOVA for nutrient comparison.
Main Results:
- Sweetness correlated with simple sugars; saltiness and savouriness correlated with sodium and protein.
- Four taste-based food groups emerged: neutral, salty/savoury, sweet-sour, and sweet.
- Nutrient content varied significantly across these groups, particularly for sugars, protein, and sodium.
- Associations between taste and nutrients were stronger in raw/moderately processed foods.
Conclusions:
- Sweetness, saltiness, and savouriness can indicate the presence of sugars, protein, and sodium.
- The ability of taste to signal nutrient content is diminished in highly processed foods.
- Dietary choices and health recommendations should consider the impact of food processing on taste-nutrient signaling.
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