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OLIgo Mass Profiling OLIMP of Extracellular Polysaccharides
Published on: June 20, 2010
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Taste perception of oligosaccharides derived from pullulan.
Shashwat Damani1, Michael H Penner1, Juyun Lim1
1Department of Food Science and Technology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, United States.
Chemical Senses
|August 17, 2023
Summary
Humans can taste starch breakdown products like maltooligosaccharides (MOS). This study explored the taste of pullulan-derived oligosaccharides (PDOS), finding their perception differs from MOS, suggesting structural configuration impacts taste detection.
Area of Science:
- Food science and sensory analysis
- Carbohydrate chemistry
- Human taste perception
Background:
- Recent research shows humans can perceive taste from starch hydrolysis products, specifically maltooligosaccharides (MOS).
- The precise structural requirements for oligosaccharide taste perception remain largely uncharacterized.
- Pullulan-derived oligosaccharides (PDOS) offer a unique structural variation (α-1,6 linkages) compared to MOS (α-1,4 linkages), making them ideal for comparative taste studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the taste perception of pullulan-derived oligosaccharides (PDOS) with varying degrees of polymerization (DP 3, 6, and 9).
- To determine if PDOS activate the sweet taste receptor and how their perception differs from maltooligosaccharides (MOS).
- To explore the influence of specific glycosidic linkages (α-1,6 in PDOS vs. α-1,4 in MOS) on taste perception.
Main Methods:
- Three food-grade PDOS with DP 3, 6, and 9 were prepared via limited enzymatic hydrolysis of pullulan.
- Sensory evaluation was conducted using trained subjects to discriminate PDOS stimuli from blanks, both with and without lactisole (a sweet taste inhibitor).
- A qualitative study assessed subjects' categorization and description of PDOS and glucose taste profiles.
Main Results:
- Subjects could significantly detect all three PDOS stimuli (DP 3, 6, 9) in the absence of lactisole.
- In the presence of lactisole, DP 3 was undetectable, while DP 6 and 9 were detected at lower significance levels.
- Qualitative analysis revealed PDOS were perceived as sweet, with DP 3 grouped with glucose, and DP 6/9 exhibiting subtler taste characteristics.
Conclusions:
- Taste perception of PDOS is primarily mediated by the sweet taste receptor, distinguishing them from MOS.
- Structural differences, specifically glycosidic linkage type, significantly influence oligosaccharide taste perception.
- PDOS may possess unique sensory attributes beyond sweetness, warranting further investigation into their structural impact on taste.
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