Individual Differences in Taste Perception and Bitterness Masking

abstract: The unpleasant bitter taste found in many nutritious vegetables may deter people from consuming a healthy diet. We investigated individual differences in taste perception and whether these differences influence the effectiveness of bitterness masking. To test whether phenylthiocarbamide (P...

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Other Authors: Wilkie, Lynn Melissa (Author)
Format: Dissertation
Language:English
Published: 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.15782
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spelling ndltd-asu.edu-item-157822018-06-22T03:03:21Z Individual Differences in Taste Perception and Bitterness Masking abstract: The unpleasant bitter taste found in many nutritious vegetables may deter people from consuming a healthy diet. We investigated individual differences in taste perception and whether these differences influence the effectiveness of bitterness masking. To test whether phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) `supertasters' also taste salt and sugar with greater intensity, as suggested by Bartoshuk and colleagues (2004), we infused strips of paper with salt water or sugar water. The bitterness rating of the PTC strip had a significant positive linear relationship with ratings of both the intensity of sweet and salt, but the effect sizes were very low, suggesting that the PTC strip does not give a complete picture of tasting ability. Next we investigated whether various seasonings could mask the bitter taste of vegetables and whether this varied with tasting ability. We found that sugar decreased bitterness and lemon decreased liking for vegetables of varying degrees of bitterness. The results did not differ by ability to taste any of the flavors. Therefore, even though there are remarkable individual differences in taste perception, sugar can be used to improve the initial palatability of vegetables and increase their acceptance and consumption. Dissertation/Thesis Wilkie, Lynn Melissa (Author) Phillips, Elizabeth D (Advisor) Cohen, Adam (Committee member) Johnston, Carol (Committee member) Arizona State University (Publisher) Psychology Experimental psychology Physiological psychology Behavioral neuroscience Bitterness masking Psychology Sugar Supertasters Vegetables eng 68 pages M.A. Psychology 2012 Masters Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.15782 http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ All Rights Reserved 2012
collection NDLTD
language English
format Dissertation
sources NDLTD
topic Psychology
Experimental psychology
Physiological psychology
Behavioral neuroscience
Bitterness masking
Psychology
Sugar
Supertasters
Vegetables
spellingShingle Psychology
Experimental psychology
Physiological psychology
Behavioral neuroscience
Bitterness masking
Psychology
Sugar
Supertasters
Vegetables
Individual Differences in Taste Perception and Bitterness Masking
description abstract: The unpleasant bitter taste found in many nutritious vegetables may deter people from consuming a healthy diet. We investigated individual differences in taste perception and whether these differences influence the effectiveness of bitterness masking. To test whether phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) `supertasters' also taste salt and sugar with greater intensity, as suggested by Bartoshuk and colleagues (2004), we infused strips of paper with salt water or sugar water. The bitterness rating of the PTC strip had a significant positive linear relationship with ratings of both the intensity of sweet and salt, but the effect sizes were very low, suggesting that the PTC strip does not give a complete picture of tasting ability. Next we investigated whether various seasonings could mask the bitter taste of vegetables and whether this varied with tasting ability. We found that sugar decreased bitterness and lemon decreased liking for vegetables of varying degrees of bitterness. The results did not differ by ability to taste any of the flavors. Therefore, even though there are remarkable individual differences in taste perception, sugar can be used to improve the initial palatability of vegetables and increase their acceptance and consumption. === Dissertation/Thesis === M.A. Psychology 2012
author2 Wilkie, Lynn Melissa (Author)
author_facet Wilkie, Lynn Melissa (Author)
title Individual Differences in Taste Perception and Bitterness Masking
title_short Individual Differences in Taste Perception and Bitterness Masking
title_full Individual Differences in Taste Perception and Bitterness Masking
title_fullStr Individual Differences in Taste Perception and Bitterness Masking
title_full_unstemmed Individual Differences in Taste Perception and Bitterness Masking
title_sort individual differences in taste perception and bitterness masking
publishDate 2012
url http://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.15782
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