A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Factors explaining individual differences in taste sensitivity and taste modality recognition among Finnish adults




AuthorsSari Puputti, Heikki Aisala, Ulla Hoppu, Mari Sandell

PublisherBlackwell Publishing Ltd

Publication year2019

JournalJournal of Sensory Studies

Journal name in sourceJournal of Sensory Studies

Volume34

Issue4

Number of pages11

ISSN1745-459X

eISSN1745-459X

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12506

Web address 10.1111/joss.12506

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/40797732


Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the factors affecting
interindividual variation in the sense of taste among Finnish adults.
Two components of taste function were examined with five established
taste modalities: taste sensitivity and capability to identify taste
modalities. The potential explanatory factors for taste function
included gender, age, BMI, and smoking. In total, 205 volunteers
participated in the study at the sensory evaluation laboratory of
Functional Foods Forum. Older age (>50 years) and male gender
predicted a less sensitive sense of taste in general. For umami
sensitivity, high BMI along with older age predicted lower sensitivity.
Additionally, taste recognition and sensitivity were related in bitter
and umami tastes. Older age was also associated with a poorer capability
in taste recognition. Sour–bitter, umami–salty, and salty–umami were
the most frequent taste confusions.


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Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 14:38