Mura Emi, Yagi Minako, Yokota Kohei, Seto Eri, Matsumiya Kentaro, Matsumura Yasuki, Hayashi Yukako
a Graduate School of Agriculture , Kyoto University , Uji , Japan.
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2018 Sep;82(9):1539-1549. doi: 10.1080/09168451.2018.1484273. Epub 2018 Jun 18.
Some components of bitterness make key flavor contributions to promote the palatability of foods, whereas other components are recognized as aversive signals to avoid consuming harmful substances. These contradictory behaviors suggest that humans tolerate tastes of bitterants based on certain criteria. Here, we investigated human taste tolerance and sensory cues leading to diverse taste tolerance of bitter compounds. Tolerance of eight bitter compounds, which are typically contained in foods, was evaluated by measuring detection and rejection thresholds. The results revealed that the level of tolerance of each compound was variable, and some compounds showed an acceptable concentration regarding the suprathreshold intensity. Tolerance did not depend on the nutritive value or attenuation and accumulation characteristics of bitterness and bitter taste receptors. These results suggest that the criteria controlling tolerance of bitter compounds may be derived from a complex relationship between the taste quality and cognitive process.
苦味的某些成分对提升食物的适口性起着关键的风味作用，而其他成分则被视为厌恶信号，以避免摄入有害物质。这些相互矛盾的行为表明，人类基于某些标准来耐受苦味剂的味道。在此，我们研究了人类的味觉耐受性以及导致对苦味化合物产生不同味觉耐受性的感官线索。通过测量检测阈值和排斥阈值，评估了八种通常存在于食物中的苦味化合物的耐受性。结果显示，每种化合物的耐受水平各不相同，并且一些化合物在阈上强度方面表现出可接受的浓度。耐受性并不取决于苦味和苦味味觉受体的营养价值、衰减和积累特性。这些结果表明，控制苦味化合物耐受性的标准可能源自味觉品质与认知过程之间的复杂关系。
