Taste detection threshold is the minimum concentration of a
flavour
Flavor or flavour is either the sensory perception of taste or smell, or a flavoring in food that produces such perception.
Flavor or flavour may also refer to:
Science
*Flavors (programming language), an early object-oriented extension to Lisp ...
ed substance detectable by the
sense of taste.
Sweetness detection thresholds are usually measured relative to that of
sucrose
Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula .
For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refi ...
,
sourness relative to dilute
hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid. It is a component of the gastric acid in the dig ...
,
saltiness relative to table salt (
NaCl), and
bitterness to
quinine
Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to '' Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...
.
These substances have a reference index of 1. Thresholds for bitter substances can be considerable lower than those for other flavoured substances, this may be due to the importance of ingesting large amounts of energy-rich or salty food while avoiding even small quantities of
poisonous substances, which are often bitter.
Variation in sensitivity among individuals plays a role in dietary selection and there is evidence that diet reciprocally affects taste sensitivity. One study found that non-
vegetarians had less sensitivity to sweetness while vegetarians had higher sensitivity to
caffeine
Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine t ...
, a bitter substance.
See also
*
Odor detection threshold
References
Gustation
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