Effects of concentration and temperature on gustatory persistence

The effects of concentration and temperature on the perceived persistence of citric acid, sodium chloride, sucrose, and urea were determined. The results obtained by a modified magnitude-estimation procedure suggest that power functions of the form P = K X Cn related the perceived persistence (P in seconds) to the concentration (C in % W/V) at each temperature and for each taste compound. Furthermore, the relative persistence (K) and the slope of the functions of persistence (n) showed changes when the temperature of taste stimuli varied.