Bitter Taste (bitter + taste)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Butterscotch Masks the Bitter Taste of Sumatriptan Nasal Spray

HEADACHE, Issue 2 2001
Harvey J. Blumenthal MD
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Peripheral coding of bitter taste in Drosophila

DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2003
Nicolas Meunier
Abstract Taste receptors play a crucial role in detecting the presence of bitter compounds such as alkaloids, and help to prevent the ingestion of toxic food. In Drosophila, we show for the first time that several taste sensilla on the prothoracic legs detect bitter compounds both through the activation of specific taste neurons but also through inhibition of taste neurons activated by sugars and water. Each sensillum usually houses a cluster of four taste neurons classified according to their best stimulus (S for sugar, W for Water, L1 and L2 for salts). Using a new statistical approach based on the analysis of interspike intervals, we show that bitter compounds activate the L2 cell. Bitter-activated L2 cells were excited with a latency of at least 50 ms. Their sensitivity to bitter compounds was different between sensilla, suggesting that specific receptors to bitter compounds are differentially expressed among L2 cells. When presented in mixtures, bitter compounds inhibited the responses of S and W, but not the L1 cell. The inhibition was effective even in sensilla where bitter compounds did not activate the L2 cell, indicating that bitter compounds directly interact with the S and W cells. Interestingly, this inhibition occurred with latencies similar to the excitation of bitter-activated L2 cells. It suggests that the inhibition in the W and S cells shares similar transduction pathways with the excitation in the L2 cells. Combined with molecular approaches, the results presented here should provide a physiological basis to understand how bitter compounds are detected and discriminated. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol 56: 139,152, 2003 [source]


THE EFFECT OF REFRIGERATED STORAGE ON SENSORY PROFILE AND PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MINIMALLY PASTEURIZED ORANGE JUICE

JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 2009
TATIANA BEATRIS TRIBESS
ABSTRACT Minimal pasteurization of orange juice (OJ) consists of using minimum holding time and temperature to ensure partial inactivation of pectin methylesterase (PME). This process produces juice with preserved sensory attributes and has a better acceptance by consumers when compared with commercially pasteurized OJ. Sensory profile and physical-chemical characteristics of minimally processed OJ was determined, during refrigerated storage, for two OJ blends with different pH values and the same level of PME thermal inactivation. A selected and trained sensorial panel (n = 16) performed sensory analysis, based on a quantitative descriptive analysis, twice a week for 30 days, evaluating the attributes of appearance (suspended particles and color intensity), odor (natural orange and fermented orange) and flavor (orange characteristic, fermented orange, acid and bitter taste). Storage presented great effect on OJ sensory profile; however, it was not noticeable on physical-chemical characteristics. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Minimal pasteurization of orange juice (OJ) consists of using minimum holding time and temperature to ensure partial inactivation of pectin methylesterase. This process produces juice with longer shelf life than fresh squeezed orange juice, preserved sensory attributes and better acceptance by consumers when compared with commercially pasteurized OJ. This study can contribute for quality evaluation of minimally pasteurized OJ under refrigeration. [source]


Evaluation of Bitterness in Enzymatic Hydrolysates of Soy Protein Isolate by Taste Dilution Analysis

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008
W.H. Seo
ABSTRACT:, Although enzymatic hydrolysates of soy protein isolate (SPI) have physiological functionality, partially hydrolyzed SPI exhibits bitter taste depending on proteases and degree of hydrolysis (DH). To determine proteolysis conditions for SPI, it is important to evaluate bitterness during enzymatic hydrolysis. Taste dilution analysis (TDA) has been developed for the screening technique of taste-active compounds in foods. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate bitterness of enzyme-hydrolyzed SPI by TDA and to compare bitterness of SPI hydrolysates with respect to kinds of proteases and DH. SPI was hydrolyzed at 50 °C and pH 6.8 to 7.1 to obtain various DH with commercial proteases (flavourzyme, alcalase, neutrase, protamex, papain, and bromelain) at E/S ratios of 0.5%, 1%, and 2%. The DH of enzymatic hydrolysates was measured by trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid method. The bitterness of enzymatic hydrolysates was evaluated by TDA, which is based on threshold detection in serially diluted samples. Taste dilution (TD) factor was defined as the dilution at which a taste difference between the diluted sample and 2 blanks could be detected. As DH increased, the bitterness increased for all proteases evaluated. Alcalase showed the highest TD factor at the same DH, followed by neutrase. Flavourzyme showed the lowest TD factor at the entire DH ranges. At the DH of 10%, TD factor of hydrolysate by flavourzyme was 0 whereas those by protamex and alcalase were 4 and 16, respectively. These results suggest that TDA could be applied for the alternative of bitterness evaluation to the hedonic scale sensory evaluation. [source]


Quality and Functional Characteristics of Chungkukjang Prepared with Various Bacillus sp.

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 4 2005
Isolated from Traditional Chungkukjang
ABSTRACT: Bacillus circulans, Brevibacillus brevis, B. licheniformis, B. coagulans, B. subtilis, and B. sterothermophillus were isolated and identified from chungkukjangs (Korean traditional soybean paste fermented for a few day). Chungkukjang was prepared on a laboratory scale with soybeans and the isolated strains. Characteristics of the chungkukjangs including slime material content, free amino acid content, sensory qualities, and antimutagenicity were determined. The content of slime material, which is an important indicator of the quality of chungkukjang, was highest in B. licheniformis -inoculated chungkukjang, andlowestin B. sterothermophillus -inoculated chungkukjang. The total content of glycine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and arginine, which contribute a savory taste to chungkukjangs, was highest in B. licheniformis-inoculated chungkukjang. The content of leucine, which gives a bitter taste, was highest inB. brevis -inoculated chungkukjang. Sensory evaluation revealed that chungkukjangs made using B. licheniformis and B. subtilishad a weak bitter taste and strong sweet and savory taste and good color, so their overall acceptability was high. Chungkukjang fermented with B. circulans and B. licheniformis inhibited N-Methyl-N,-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) mutagenicity by more than 80%. B. licheniformis-inoculated chungkukjang exhibited the highest antimutagenicity against and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and MNNG. These results suggest that using B. licheniformis to ferment chungkukjang increases the antimutagenic properties and improves the sweet and savory taste by increasing glycine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and arginine concentrations. [source]


Quantification of suppression of bitterness using an electronic tongue

JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 12 2001
Sou Takagi
Abstract Phospholipids, such as phosphatidic acid, suppress bitter taste without affecting other taste qualities. In the present study, we detected and quantified this suppression effect with an electronic tongue whose transducer is composed of several kinds of lipid/polymer membranes with different characteristics. We measured a phospholipid cocktail and various kinds of taste substances with five basic taste qualities. The responses to quinine hydrochloride and L -tryptophan, which have a bitter taste, were reduced as the phospholipid concentration was increased, and the responses to the other taste substances were not affected by the phospholipids, as with the human sensation test. Furthermore, the change of bitter interisity caused by phospholipid was quantified by principal component analysis and the , scale, which expresses the relationship between taste intensity and taste substance concentration. The results are compared with those of the human sensory test and discussed. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmaceutical Association J Pharm Sci 90:2042,2048, 2001 [source]


Effect of chitosan crosslinking on bitterness of artemether using response surface methodology

JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008
Punit P. Shah
This work examines the influence of various process parameters on artemether entrapped in crosslinked chitosan microparticles for masking bitterness. A central composite design was used to optimize the experimental conditions for bitterness masking. Critical parameters such as the amounts of artemether, chitosan and crosslinking agent have been studied to evaluate how they affect responses such as incorporation efficiency, particle size and drug release at pH 6.8. The desirability function approach has been used to find the best compromise between the experimental results. The optimized microparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Bitterness score was evaluated by human gustatory sensation test. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the crosslinking of chitosan significantly affects incorporation efficiency, particle size and drug release at pH 6.8. The bitterness score of microparticles was decreased to 0, compared with 3+ for pure artemether. The proposed method completed masked the bitter taste of artemether. [source]


Inflexible and Indifferent Alcohol Drinking in Male Mice

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 7 2010
Heidi M. B. Lesscher
Background:, Alcoholism is characterized by compulsive alcohol intake, but this critical feature of alcoholism is seldom captured in preclinical studies. Here, we evaluated whether alcohol-preferring C57BL/6J mice develop compulsive alcohol drinking patterns, using adulteration of the alcohol solution with quinine, in a limited access choice paradigm. We assessed 2 independent aspects of compulsive drinking: (i) inflexible alcohol intake by testing whether mice would drink bitter alcohol solutions if this was their only source of alcohol and (ii) indifferent drinking by comparing intake of aversive and nonaversive alcohol solutions. Methods:, Male C57BL/6J mice consumed alcohol for 2 or 8 consecutive weeks. The alcohol solution was then adulterated with graded quinine concentrations, and the effect on alcohol intake was determined. Results:, C57BL/6J mice rapidly developed compulsive alcohol drinking patterns. Adulteration of the alcohol solution with an aversive quinine concentration failed to reduce intake, indicative of inflexible drinking behavior, after only 2 weeks of alcohol experience, although quinine adulteration did suppress the acquisition of alcohol drinking in naďve mice. After 8 weeks of alcohol consumption, the mice also became indifferent to quinine. They consumed an aversive, quinine-containing alcohol solution, despite the simultaneous availability of an unadulterated alcohol solution. Prolonged alcohol ingestion did not alter the sensitivity to the bitter taste of quinine itself. Conclusion:, These findings demonstrate the staged occurrence in mice of 2 distinct behavioral characteristics of alcoholism, i.e., inflexible and indifferent alcohol drinking. [source]


Supercritical fluid extraction of cynaropicrin and 20-hydroxyecdysone from Leuzea carthamoides DC

JOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 8 2008
Helena Sovová
Abstract Leuzea carthamoides is an adaptogenic plant containing biologically active compounds as ecdysteroids and guaianolide-type sesquiterpene lactones, conventionally extracted from the plant with ethanol. It may be a potential source of the mentioned natural compounds. Ethanol-modified near-critical CO2 was used as selective solvent with the aim to increase the level of 20-hydroxyecdysone in the extract from L. carthamoides roots and to remove selectively cynaropicrin, a sesquiterpene lactone of bitter taste, from the leaves. The extraction conditions were varied (pressure 20,28 MPa, temperature 40,60°C, ethanol concentration in the solvent 0,7.1%) and the extraction yield and extract composition were compared with the results of ethanolic extraction. The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) from finely powdered plant was controlled by phase equilibrium. Cynaropicrin was quantitatively removed from the leaves where 89% of 20-hydroxyecdysone was retained. The extraction yield of 20-hydroxyecdysone from roots with ethanol-modified CO2 was lower by 30% than with ethanol but its concentration in the extract was higher by 67%. [source]


Relating consumer preferences to sensory and physicochemical properties of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 15 2007
Alice V Mkanda
Abstract BACKGROUND: Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) have a range of varieties, colours and sizes. Differences in physicochemical and sensory properties influence consumer choices for beans. This study related consumer preferences to sensory and physico-chemical properties of selected bean varieties,Jenny, Kranskop, PAN 148, AC Calmont, PAN 150 and Mkuzi,grown in Mpumalanga (MP) and Free State (FS) in South Africa. RESULTS: Significant (P < 0.05) variety, location as well as location × variety interaction effects were found for both physico-chemical and sensory properties of beans. Jenny-FS, Mkuzi and PAN 148-MP beans had relatively long cooking times (>60 min). Some beans (e.g. PAN 150 and Mkuzi beans) were described as bitter, soapy and metallic with a raw-bean flavour whereas more preferred beans (e.g. Jenny-MP, Kranskop-MP) were sweet, soft and with a cooked-bean flavour. CONCLUSION Apart from small seed size, sensory characteristics such as bitter taste, soapy and metallic mouthfeel and hard texture contributed to consumers' dislike of certain bean varieties. The sweet taste, cooked-bean flavours, soft and mushy textures of the most accepted varieties seemed to be related to beans with good hydration capacities that facilitated softening during cooking. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


34 Senso-reflexory control of the gastric myoelectrical activity , effect of oral exposure to a sweet or a bitter taste on a multichannel electrogastrogram

NEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY & MOTILITY, Issue 6 2006
M DZIELICKI
Aim:, To examine the effect of sensory stimulation with a sweet or a bitter taste on the interdigestive gastric myoelectrical activity (GMA) in humans. Methods:, Eighteen healthy subjects (10F, 8M) underwent on two separate days four-channel electrogastrographic recordings comprising three consecutive 35 min periods: (i) basal fasted, (ii) a stimulation epoch while a subject was chewing an agar cube soaked with a taste-delivering substance (saccharose for the sweet taste, quinine hydrochloride for the bitter taste), (iii) a post-stimulatory (recovery) epoch. An electrocardiogram was simultaneously registered for the purpose of the heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Results:, Exposure to the sweet taste brought about an increase in the power of the high frequency (HF: 0.15,0.4 Hz) band of the power spectrum-analyzed HRV data. The bitter taste had no effect on the HRV. During the stimulation and the recovery epoch a statistically significant augmentation in the relative time share of tachy- and bradygastria within the multichannel electrogastrogram was found either with the sweet or the bitter taste. Whereas no any other modifications of the GMA were elicited by the sweet taste, the exposure to the bitter taste resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the relative time share of normogastria, a decline in the dominant frequency and the dominant power of the gastric slow waves, as well as a reduction in the percentage of the slow wave coupling. Conclusions:, (i) Exposure to the sweet taste elicits a vagal arousal expressed by an increase in the HF power, whereas the bitter taste does not affect the equilibrium between the parasympathetic and the sympathetic component of the autonomous nervous system; (ii) The increased relative time contribution of tachy- and bradygastria within the electrogastrogram during both the stimulation and the recovery epoch should be considered an unspecific phenomenon because it accompanied stimulation either with the sweet or the bitter taste; (iii) The inhibitory effect of the bitter taste on the GMA, reflected by a diminution in the dominant frequency and the dominant power of the gastric slow waves, as well as their reduced coupling, may be indicative of an evolutionary archetype of a warning reaction of the human (mammalian) organism towards this taste. [source]


Decreasing unpalatable flavonoid components in Citrus: the effect of transformation construct

PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM, Issue 2 2009
Ufuk Koca
Citrus species accumulate large quantities of flavanone glycosides in their leaves and fruit. The physiological role(s) of these compounds in citrus plants are unknown, but they have been documented to benefit human health upon consumption. Flavanone rutinosides are tasteless, whereas flavanone neohesperidosides, such as naringin, give a bitter taste to fruit and fruit juice products, reducing their palatability. In an effort to alter the types and levels of flavanone neohesperidosides in citrus, an Agrobacterium -mediated genetic transformation approach was employed. Citrus paradisi Macf. (grapefruit) epicotyl stem segments were transformed with sense (S) and antisense (AS) constructs of the target genes chalcone synthase (CHS) and chalcone isomerase (CHI), whose products catalyze the first two steps in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. Transformation with each of the individual constructs led to a different and unpredictable combination of viability, phenotypic change, transgene steady-state expression and alteration in flavonoid content in the resulting transgenic plants. These qualities were consistent within the transgenic plants obtained using any particular construct. Transgenic plants with decreased leaf naringin levels were obtained, particularly when the CHS-AS constructs were employed. [source]


The number of taste buds is related to bitter taste sensitivity in layer and broiler chickens

ANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010
Ken-ichi KUDO
ABSTRACT The relationship between taste sensitivity and the number of taste buds using a bitter tastant, quinine hydrochloride, was investigated in White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, and broiler chickens. The White Leghorn and Rhode Island Red strains were able to perceive 2.0 mmol/L quinine hydrochloride, but the taste sensitivity of Rhode Island Red chickens was higher than that of White Leghorn chickens. Broiler chickens perceived 0.5 mmol/L quinine hydrochloride. The number of taste buds in the White Leghorn strain was the lowest, then the Rhode Island Red strain, with the number of taste buds highest in the broiler chickens. The number of taste buds was well correlated with bitter taste sensitivity. Therefore, we suggest that the number of taste buds is a vital factor in the perception of bitter taste and may be useful in selecting appropriate feeds for chickens. [source]


Covers, volume 26, Number 1, 2010

ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY, Issue 1 2010
Article first published online: 2 FEB 2010
Front and back cover caption, volume 26 issue 1 POST-SOVIET RUSSIAN ORTHODOXY The last 20 years have seen a striking revitalization of Orthodoxy in Russia. This is remarkable considering that for more than 70 years following the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 the Soviet regime imposed ,scientific atheism' on its citizens. Russian Orthodoxy, institutionally dominated by the Russian Orthodox Church, has emerged as a crucial source of morality and identity. The personal dimension is intertwined with politics and the co-operation between the Church and the Russian state has strong symbolic implications. The close association between religion and the army is evident in this religious procession. For millions of Russians of different social backgrounds and ages, the fall of the Soviet state still leaves a bitter taste, stemming from the feeling of loss of territory and of superpower status. The Russian Orthodox Church offers an avenue for retrieving a sense of power and moral righteousness. However, the prominence of the Church and its symbols does not necessarily mean that young soldiers acquire religious knowledge and observe the rules of the Church in their everyday behaviour. Soldiers are no different from teachers, businessmen, or impoverished urban residents in general who, in the face of post-socialist uncertainties, turn to Orthodoxy for healing, protection and as an insurance against an unclear future. Orthodoxy also contributes to the construction of a harmonious and idealized narrative about the recent past, obscuring the memory of violence of the state against Orthodox believers under the Soviet regime. An anthropology of the Russian case , and religion in the postsocialist world generally , can shed new light on debates about religion in the public realm, secularization, individual morality and identity in the contemporary world. [source]


Clindamycin and taste disorders

BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 4 2007
Mark C. H. De Groot
What is already known about this subject. ,,The antibiotic clindamycin has a bitter taste when it is used orally. What this study adds ,,A case series on oral as well as i.v. use of clindamycin associated with taste disorders is presented. ,,After corrections in a case-by-case analysis for several possible confounders such as indication, clindamycin is disproportionally associated with taste disorders. ,,Serum and hence saliva and sputum clindamycin levels seem to be responsible for this reversible adverse drug reaction. Aims Topical use of clindamycin has been associated with taste disorders in the literature, but little is known about the nature of this adverse drug reaction. The aim of this article was to describe reports of clindamycin-induced taste disorders and to analyse the factors involved. Methods The adverse drug reaction database of the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre was searched for reports concerning taste disorders with antibiotics. Clinical review of the cases and statistical analysis with logistic regression were performed. Characteristics of patients who reported taste disorders were compared for age, gender and formulation in clindamycin vs. other antibiotic users. Results Taste disorders were reported in seven (18%) of the clindamycin cases. In five reports an oral formulation was involved, in one report intravenous (i.v.) administration and in one report both formulations were used. Latency was <1 day after start and in one case taste disorders were present repeatedly at 10 min after every i.v. application. The adjusted reporting odds ratio was 7.0 (95% confidence interval 2.8, 17.3) and supports a possible causal relationship. Conclusions The association of clindamycin and taste disorders is supported by disproportionality analysis and seems to be independent of possible confounders such as age, gender and infections. The case reports suggest a role for clindamycin concentrations excreted in body fluids like saliva. [source]


Confocal Raman Microscopy as a Tool to Investigate Concentration Profiles of Melt Crystallized Ibuprofen/Carnauba Wax

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 7 2009
H. Qu
Abstract Coatings are of great significance for pharmaceutical solid dosage forms. They fulfil a number of functions and are often necessary to control drug delivery, to mask bitter taste, or to protect the active pharmaceutical ingredient from detrimental environmental factors. The process of self-coating by melt crystallization of a suitable binary mixture eliminates the need for an additional process step in the manufacture of a solid drug. Self-coating relies upon the physical and spatial separation of individual components in a melt during solidification. This paper focuses on the use of confocal Raman microscopy as a nondestructive technique for quantifying the spatial distribution of the components in self-coated pastilles manufactured from the binary system ibuprofen/carnauba wax. Pastilles are produced from the melt. Raman spectroscopy allows the direct analysis of concentration profiles across the surface of the pastille. Here, the samples are cleaved and the cleaved surface is investigated in order to establish the distribution of the components in the interior of the solid. A univariate calibration model was developed and statistically validated with standard mixtures of ibuprofen and carnauba wax. Different regression models (linear or polynomial, using different significant peaks for the respective compounds) were assessed and a linear model was found to be adequate to determine the concentration gradient in the pastilles. [source]


Development of Flavor Descriptors for Pawpaw Fruit Puree: A Step Toward the Establishment of a Native Tree Fruit Industry

FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES RESEARCH JOURNAL, Issue 2 2006
Melani W. Duffrin
The pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a native tree fruit with potential as a high-value niche crop for farmers in fresh-market and processing ventures. With a flavor resembling a combination of banana, mango, and pineapple, this fruit could compete with exported specialty fruits in the United States such as mango and papaya. The study objective was to develop a descriptive language for frozen pawpaw fruit puree, thereby assisting growers in the selection of superior varieties for fresh-market and processing ventures. Panelists generated 13 visual, 17 flavor, and 12 texture puree descriptors. Using these descriptors with fruit collected from Southeast Ohio (SEO) wild patches and two varieties (1,23 and 10,35), panelists identified both sour and bitter tastes in SEO puree compared to puree from either variety. The varieties also displayed positive characteristics of stronger melon and fresh flavors compared to SEO puree. Additional language descriptors for pawpaw puree may be needed. [source]