Chemosensory Perception最新文献

Orosensory perception strongly influences food and beverage liking and consumption. Differences between individuals in orosensation present an opportunity to conceptualize and commercialize products based on consumer “taste” responsiveness. The main objective of this study was to examine how the thermal taste phenotype associates with orosensory responsiveness to beer and cider, and more generally to examine differences in and relationships between responsiveness to alcohol-relevant stimuli and to beer/cider.

Sixty participants (31 thermal tasters (TTs) and 29 thermal non-tasters (TnTs)) rated the intensity of aqueous solutions of beer- and cider-relevant tastants: iso-α-acid (bitterness), ethanol (irritation, bitterness, sweetness), dextrose (sweetness), and citric acid (sourness) at concentrations typically found in commercial products on generalized labeled magnitude scales (gLMS). Intensity ratings (gLMS) of multiple orosensations elicited by six beer and two cider samples differing in iso-α-acid and ethanol content were also collected.

TTs scored the bitterness of ethanol more intensely than did TnTs (p(t)?<?0.05) and rated the bitterness, sourness, astringency, and overall taste intensity of sampled beers and ciders higher than TnT (p(F)?<?0.05).

Thermal taste status is an important determinant in the perception of beer and cider flavor.

These results may assist product developers in designing beers and ciders targeted to specific consumer segments that differ in orosensory responsiveness, and inform broader understanding of the sources of variation in human perception of alcohol constituents and beverages.

Although most US adults drink alcoholic beverages, little is known about the association between drinking and taste. We hypothesized that the ability to distinguish differing intensities of bitter and salt solutions would be poorer among drinkers than nondrinkers.

We used cross-sectional data from 4990 participants aged 40+ from a large, national survey of the US population (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2012–2014). The validated generalized Labeled Magnitude Scale (gLMS) was used to rate participants’ perception of the intensities of a series of bitter (1?mM quinine) and salt (0.32?M and 1?M NaCl) solutions. Statistical analyses, weighted to produce nationally representative estimates, were adjusted for factors including race/ethnicity, education, marital status, income, body mass index (BMI), smoking, physical activity, self-reported health status, diabetes, depression, and use of medications known to affect taste.

In adjusted analyses, ability to distinguish intensity of a salt solution (0.32?M) was poorer among older (aged 60+) female current drinkers than their nondrinking counterparts (p?=?0.001). Ability was also poorer among drinkers who consumed wine in the past 24?h compared to drinkers who consumed no alcohol during that time (p?=?0.016). Ability to distinguish different intensities of the bitter solution was poorer among more frequent wine consumers (p?=?0.034).

We found few significant associations. However, the result for older women is potentially interesting given recent increases in drinking within that population.

Taste is a novel consideration in research on alcohol consumption. We encourage further exploration in this area.

Thermal taster status (TTS) is determined when the tongue is cooled or warmed, whereby thermal tasters (TT) experience a taste sensation while thermal nontasters (TnT) do not. The literature suggests that TT experience greater responsiveness (higher intensity ratings) to orosensory stimuli; however, small sample sizes and differences in classification schemes between studies confound our understanding of TTS. In addition, up to 50% of individuals (nonclassifiables, NC) have been excluded from previous studies and have yet to be characterized.

Raw responses to the thermal-elicitation procedure were used to determine the TTS of the same participants using four published classification schemes, and concordance between the schemes was examined using Fleiss’ kappa. Using a large convenience sample (n?=?708), we tested for differences in orosensory (ANOVA) and temperature (Mann-Whitney U) responsiveness between TT, TnT, and NC.

TT are more responsive than TnT to both orosensations and temperature changes, regardless of the classification method used despite only moderate concordance between the schemes. Overall, the orosensory and temperature responsiveness of NC is intermediate to that of TT and TnT. However, the responses of NC are not homogeneous and subgroups are identified.

The trend of TT being more responsive to orosensory and temperature stimuli is confirmed. The responsiveness patterns of NC subgroups suggest they are misclassified TT and TnT, and can be included in future studies examining thermal tasting.

TTS is an important source of individual differences in orosensory responsiveness, and our findings inform best practices for thermal elicitation and classification.

Measurements of chemosensory function within specific regions of the tongue can yield important information about the sensitivity of lingual areas to chemosensory stimuli and may identify possible nerve damage. A novel regional chemosensory test that uses thin edible circles was developed for human testing.

Edible circles placed at six different regions of the tongue were used to examine regional sensitivity to quinine for bitter taste, NaCl for salt taste, sucralose for sweet taste, and capsaicin for pungency. The six regions included the anterior tip of the tongue, the left and right lateral margins of the tongue (anterior and posterior), and the circumvallate region. Testing was completed with the mouth open, and the mouth closed.

Intensity ratings at all sites were higher in the closed mouth condition for the three taste stimuli. Quinine intensity was highest at the circumvallate region with the mouth closed. NaCl and sucralose intensity were highest at the anterior tip and circumvallate regions. Capsaicin intensity was most highly perceived at the anterior tip of the tongue, but open and closed mouth intensity ratings showed no significant differences.

Regional differences in chemosensory perception were observed on the tongue, and these differences were dependent on the chemosensory stimulus, tongue region, and tasting mode.

Edible circles show minimal diffusion with saliva, can be used to examine both taste and irritation, and may be used to identify regional papillae counts on the tongue. Finally, edible circles should be invaluable for examining damage to the oral cavity.

Olfactory testing helps in diagnosing olfactory dysfunction (OD). The Sniffin’ Sticks odor test kit is widely used for research and can be reused and summed scores of threshold (T), discrimination (D), and identification (I) allow comparison to normative data. Testing can be time consuming and odor pens have to be presented by an examiner. The aim of this study was to investigate for a self-administration strategy for testing T and D.

Fifty healthy subjects (30 female, 20 male, mean age 27.3?years?±?8.1, range 18–58) were included. T was tested by an examiner (T-as) in a reversed staircase manner and self-tested with randomly presented concentrations (T-rand) and ascending methods of limits (T-aml). D testing was performed with assistance (D-as) and self-administered (D-s). For self-testing, examinees were instructed to perform the “odor-curves-on-paper” method.

Mean TDI was 35.9?±?3.0, range 26.5–42.8. T-as scores were significantly lower than T-aml (p?<?0.001) and T-rand (p?<?0.05). T-aml was significantly faster than T-rand and T-as modalities (p?<?0.001); Paired t test revealed no significant difference of D-as and D-s, in terms of scores and time needed (p?>?0.05) and the mean difference was small (0.3).

The results of this study demonstrate the “odor-curves-on-paper” method is applicable for D and with restrictions for T testing.

Self-administration of olfactory testing using Sniffin’ Sticks can, with appropriate instructions, easily be performed and may improve patient care in personnel and (with limitations) time-restricted settings.

Assessment of olfactory performance is of high clinical interest in the contexts of smell loss as well as neurological diseases, and recently gained attention in obesity research. Available olfactory tests, especially for assessing olfactory sensitivity, are time-consuming and require high cognitive capacity. Therefore, we aimed to establish a short procedure for reliably testing olfactory sensitivity using a subtest of the “Sniffin’ Sticks” battery. Evaluation criteria are test duration, validity, and test-retest reliability.

In a preliminary study using a within-subject repeated-measures design, we measured olfactory sensitivity for n-butanol in 20 young and healthy participants. We compared sensitivity obtained with three different measures during two sessions in a pseudo-randomized order: a standard single-staircase three-alternative forced-choice procedure with seven reversals (SSP_7); an abbreviated version with five reversals (SSP_5); and an ascending presentation of 16 dilution steps from lowest to highest odor concentration (brief ascending procedure, BAP).

Compared to the SSP_7, the BAP was 51%, and the SSP_5 26% shorter in duration. Both the BAP and SSP_5 scores were highly correlated with the SSP_7. The test-retest reliability in all three tests was similar to that typically reported in olfactory research.

The abbreviated tests are valid measures of olfactory sensitivity. Especially, the BAP is as reliable as the standard method, but remarkably faster and easier to perform.

Thus, the short procedures bear potential for both research and clinical practice, especially for complex study designs with time constraints on olfactory testing and for patient populations with attention deficits.

Studies of the effect of pregnancy on olfactory function are contradictory—some report reduced function, others hypersensitivity, and still others no change at all. Our objectives were to quantify olfactory function in women during gestational and puerperal periods, to compare the olfactory test scores to those of non-pregnant women, and to explore the potential influence of rhinitis on olfactory function during these periods.

We evaluated olfactory function in 206 women with and without rhinitis—47 in the first trimester of pregnancy, 33 in the second, 44 in the third, 32 in the postpartum period, and 50 who were non-pregnant. Olfactory assessment was performed using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) and ratings of the pleasantness and intensity of four common odors.

Although total UPSIT scores did not differ among the study groups, pregnant and postpartum women identified some odors less well than did the controls. Pregnant women, especially in the first trimester, tended to consider some smells less pleasant. Rhinitis was adversely associated with the olfactory test scores of the pregnant and postpartum women.

The overall olfactory function of postpartum and pregnant women did not differ compared to controls;?however,?detection of some individual UPSIT items was adversely impacted (e.g., menthol, gingerbread, gasoline).?Rhinitis was associated with reduced olfaction during pregnancy and puerperium.

These findings support the view that pregnancy-related alterations in smell are idiosyncratic, present only for some odorants, and may be impacted by the presence of rhinitis that commonly occurs during pregnancy.

Changes in olfactory perception observed in cross-sectional studies may not reflect actual ongoing change within individuals. The aim of the present study was to assess intra-individual as well as inter-individual variation in olfactory scores in pre-schoolers across five waves over a 2-year period.

The participants were 157 children (79 boys) aged 5.8?±?0.6?years at initial testing. We repeatedly examined the effects of time, age, gender, test practice, operationalised as the number of sessions attended and the intervals between them, and influence of school entry on identification, discrimination, and threshold Sniffin’ Sticks scores. Data imputation was performed due to missing data.

In non-imputed data, odour identification and discrimination were higher in girls. More odours were also correctly identified by children who had attended fewer sessions in shorter intervals. In imputed data, in addition to these effects, odour identification and discrimination increased further into the study and were higher in children who were older at initial testing and those who had started attending school. Schoolchildren also had lower thresholds than pre-schoolers. However, both the significant and non-significant effects were generally small.

We observed mainly small effects of gender and test practice on odour identification and discrimination, whereas intra-individual variation appeared only after data imputation.

It is likely that olfactory development over time needs to be observed for longer than 2?years.

Stimuli of different modalities can acquire an affective value via evaluative conditioning. This process describes a shift in perceived affective quality of a neutral stimulus towards the hedonics of an associated affective stimulus. The olfactory system, as compared to other modalities, might be especially prone to attributing affective value to an odor due to its close neuroanatomical connectivity with brain regions processing emotion.

In the present study, we investigated whether perceived affective quality of odors is more sensitive to evaluative conditioning than that of sounds. For this purpose, 48 healthy participants (50% male) rated unfamiliar and emotionally neutral odors and sounds before and after pairing with either aversive or neutral pictures.

Our results show a stronger decrease in odor valence and stronger increases in arousal and dominance ratings for odors paired with aversive compared to neutral pictures. For sounds, ratings of valence, arousal, and dominance were independent of picture emotionality.

Odors appear to be more sensitive to evaluative conditioning than sounds. Our findings extend existing modality comparisons mainly focusing on characteristics of odor-associated memories by specifically looking at affective quality of the odor itself in associative learning.

Perceived affective quality of a stimulus goes along with the tendency to approach or avoid this stimulus. For odors, it is especially prone to change into an aversive direction. This may have implications for food and fragrance choices but also for the understanding of clinical conditions in which odors become highly aversive, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sounds can affect food and flavor perception. For example, loud noise can affect taste perception. In the present study, we examined whether exposure to ~?80-dB magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acoustic noise affects taste perception.

Participants (N?=?27) came to the lab twice for a taste test, a smell test, and evaluating sweet and savory food items: once when continuously being exposed to loud MRI acoustic noise and once when being exposed to much quieter background noise. It was hypothesized that exposure to loud noise would impair taste perception, especially identifying and detecting?sweet taste, and that it would decrease liking for the taste of particularly sweet foods.

Neither overall taste detection nor sweet taste detection was affected by exposure to MRI acoustic noise. Further, we found no effect of noise on sweet food liking, but exploratory analyses do imply such an effect of MRI noise on liking for savory foods, with these foods being significantly less liked when exposed to MRI acoustic noise.

We conclude that loud noises do not necessarily affect chemosensory perception.

MRI acoustic noise specifically does not seem to have a relevant effect on smell and taste.