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Nutrients Mar 2021The consumption of phenol-rich foods is limited by their prominent bitterness and astringency. This issue has been addressed by adding sweet tastes, which suppress... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
The consumption of phenol-rich foods is limited by their prominent bitterness and astringency. This issue has been addressed by adding sweet tastes, which suppress bitterness, but this is not a complete solution since individuals also differ in their preference for sweetness. In this study, we aimed at identifying groups of consumers differing in sweetness optima and sensory-liking patterns. To this end, increasing concentrations of sucrose were added to a chocolate pudding base. This allowed us to (1) investigate if individual differences in sensory responses are associated with different sweet liking optima in a product context, (2) define the psychological and oro-sensory profile of sweet liker phenotypes derived using a product context, and (3) assess if individuals differing in sweet liking optima differ also in consumption and liking of phenol-rich foods and beverages as a function of their sensory properties (e.g., sweeter vs. more bitter and astringent products). Individuals (1208; 58.4% women, 18-69 years) were characterised for demographics, responsiveness to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), personality traits and attitudes toward foods. Three clusters were identified based on correlations between sensory responses (sweetness, bitterness and astringency) and liking of the samples: liking was positively related to sweetness and negatively to bitterness and astringency in High and Moderate Sweet Likers, and the opposite in Inverted U-Shaped. Differences between clusters were found in age, gender and personality. Furthermore, the Inverted-U Shaped cluster was found to have overall healthier food behaviours and preferences, with higher liking and consumption of phenol-rich vegetables and beverages without added sugar. These findings point out the importance of identifying the individual sensory-liking patterns in order to develop more effective strategies to promote the acceptability of healthy phenol-rich foods.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Cluster Analysis; Female; Food Preferences; Food, Fortified; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Personality; Phenol; Propylthiouracil; Sweetening Agents; Taste Threshold; Young Adult
PubMed: 33800789
DOI: 10.3390/nu13030866 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2020The food industry is focused on creating plant-based foods that incorporate pea protein isolates. However, pea protein isolates are often described as having persistent...
The food industry is focused on creating plant-based foods that incorporate pea protein isolates. However, pea protein isolates are often described as having persistent beany, bitter, and astringent notes that can decrease the desirability of the resulting foods and make static sensory profiling difficult. To obtain more realistic descriptions of the sensory experiences associated with this category of products, researchers should consider using temporal methods and multi-intake methods, which allow consumers to evaluate whole food portions. This study aimed to understand better how product composition affected the sensory perception of pea protein-based beverages using three different sensory profiling methods. Particular focus was placed on beany, bitter, and astringent notes. Twelve pea protein-based beverages were formulated; they varied in pea protein type (pellet vs. isolate) and their content of gellan gum, salt, sunflower oil, sugar, and soy lecithin. They were evaluated by 16 trained panelists using three sensory profiling methods: static block profiling, mono-intake temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) profiling, and multi-intake TDS profiling. The static block and mono-intake TDS profiling methods yielded complementary results about the impact of beverage composition on attribute perceptions. Static block profiling revealed that beaniness was mainly affected by gellan gum and oil content and that bitterness and astringency were mainly affected by protein type and gellan gum content. Mono-intake TDS profiling highlighted the dynamics of beaniness and the strong persistence of astringency, and its results suggested that higher gellan gum and salt contents could limit this persistence. Multi-intake TDS profiling found that, throughout the consumption of a full product portion, beaniness and bitterness decreased, indicating an adaptation effect, while fattiness increased, indicating a build-up effect. This study has increased the understanding of how pea protein-based beverages are perceived under conditions that more closely resemble those associated with real-life consumption. It has also revealed how product formulation can reduce bitterness and astringency.
PubMed: 32707881
DOI: 10.3390/foods9080969 -
International Journal of Molecular... Oct 2023Persimmon fruit has a high nutritional value and significantly varies between pollination-constant astringent (PCA) and pollination-constant non-astringent (PCNA)...
Persimmon fruit has a high nutritional value and significantly varies between pollination-constant astringent (PCA) and pollination-constant non-astringent (PCNA) persimmons. The astringency type affects sugar, flavonoids, and tannin accumulation and is well known in persimmon fruit. However, the impact of the fruit astringency type on ascorbic acid (AsA) accumulation is limited. In this study, typical PCA varieties ('Huojing' and 'Zhongshi5') and PCNA varieties ('Yohou' and 'Jiro') of persimmon fruit were sampled at four developing stages (S1-S4) to provide valuable information on AsA content variation in PCA and PCNA persimmon. Persimmon fruit is rich in ascorbic acid; the AsA content of the four varieties 'Zhongshi5', 'Huojing', 'Jiro', and 'Youhou' mature fruit reached 104.49, 48.69, 69.69, and 47.48 mg/100 g. Fruit of the same astringency type persimmon showed a similar AsA accumulation pattern. AsA content was significantly higher in PCA than PCNA fruit at S1-S3. The initial KEGG analysis of metabolites showed that galactose metabolism is the major biosynthetic pathway of AsA in persimmon fruit. There were significant differences in galactose pathway-related metabolite content in developing PCA and PCNA fruit, such as Lactose, D-Tagatose, and D-Sorbitol content in PCA being higher than that of PCNA. Combined gene expression and WGCNA analyses showed that the expression of the () gene was higher in PCA-type than in PCNA-type fruit in S1-S3 and exhibited the highest correlation with AsA content (r = 690 **, < 0.01). Four hub genes, including the , , , and , were identified as potential regulators of the gene. These results provide basic information on how astringency types affect AsA accumulation and will provide valuable information for further investigation on AsA content variation in persimmon fruit.
Topics: Diospyros; Proanthocyanidins; Astringents; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; Transcriptome; Fruit; Pollination; Ascorbic Acid; Galactose; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
PubMed: 37895041
DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015362 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2022Astringency is an important sensory characteristic of food and beverages containing polyphenols. However, astringency perception in elderly people has not been...
Astringency is an important sensory characteristic of food and beverages containing polyphenols. However, astringency perception in elderly people has not been previously documented. The aim of the present work was to evaluate sensitivity to astringency as a function of age, salivary flow and protein amount. Fifty-four panellists, including 30 elderly people (age = 75 ± 4.2 years) and 24 young people (age = 29.4 ± 3.8 years), participated in this study. Astringency sensitivity was evaluated by the 2-alternative forced choice (2-AFC) procedure using tannic acid solutions. Whole saliva was collected for 5 min before and after the sensory tests. The results showed that the astringency threshold was significantly higher in the elderly group than the young group. No correlation was observed between the salivary protein amount and threshold value. However, a negative correlation between salivary flow and threshold was observed in the young group only. These results showed a difference in oral astringency perception as a function of age. This difference can be linked to salivary properties that differ as a function of age.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aging; Astringents; Humans; Saliva; Tannins; Taste
PubMed: 35268718
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27051617 -
Journal of Food Science Jul 2022Sweetened yogurts can contain between 10 and 13% added sugar. However, studies have shown that sugar reduction or replacement can influence yogurt quality. The main...
Sweetened yogurts can contain between 10 and 13% added sugar. However, studies have shown that sugar reduction or replacement can influence yogurt quality. The main objective of this research was to investigate the effects of yogurt with added natural sweeteners on temporal sensory profile, liking, satiety and postconsumption measures. Yogurt samples were prepared with iso-sweet concentrations of sucrose (9 g/100 g of plain yogurt) using xylitol (10 g/100 g), stevia (0.15 g/100 g), and monk fruit (0.15 g/100 g). Fifty panelists evaluated the temporal sensory profile of these yogurts using multiple-intake temporal dominance of sensations (TDS), and overall liking for each intake. In addition, satiety (hunger, thirst, and fullness) and other postconsumption attributes (healthiness, satisfaction, and purchase intent) were determined. The temporal profile of yogurt sweetened with xylitol was similar to yogurt sweetened with sucrose without any onset of negative sensory characteristics at any point in intake. Yogurt sweetened with stevia had a high dominance duration for astringency. Moreover, yogurt sweetened with monk fruit showed increased dominance of attributes bitter and astringent from the first to third intake. In terms of liking, yogurt containing xylitol was scored the highest followed by stevia and monkfruit. Sweet was a positive temporal driver of liking in yogurt sweetened with monk fruit. However, mouthcoating, sweet, and sour decreased liking in yogurt sweetened with sucrose, xylitol, and stevia respectively. In terms of perceived healthiness, satisfaction and purchase intent, yogurt sweetened with sucrose scored the highest followed by xylitol. Consumption of yogurt sweetened with xylitol, stevia, or monk fruit significantly decreased hunger compared to yogurt sweetened with sucrose. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The current findings will play an important role for the dairy industry in understanding how sugar replacement with natural sweeteners in yogurt can influence its sensory perception and postconsumption behavior.
Topics: Cucurbitaceae; Stevia; Sucrose; Sugars; Sweetening Agents; Taste; Xylitol; Yogurt
PubMed: 35708195
DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.16224 -
Science Advances Jun 2020Artificial tongues have been receiving increasing attention for the perception of five basic tastes. However, it is still challenging to fully mimic human tongue-like...
Artificial tongues have been receiving increasing attention for the perception of five basic tastes. However, it is still challenging to fully mimic human tongue-like performance for tastes such as astringency. Mimicking the mechanism of astringency perception on the human tongue, we use a saliva-like chemiresistive ionic hydrogel anchored to a flexible substrate as a soft artificial tongue. When exposed to astringent compounds, hydrophobic aggregates form inside the microporous network and transform it into a micro/nanoporous structure with enhanced ionic conductivity. This unique human tongue-like performance enables tannic acid to be detected over a wide range (0.0005 to 1 wt %) with high sensitivity (0.292 wt %) and fast response time (~10 s). As a proof of concept, our sensor can detect the degree of astringency in beverages and fruits using a simple wipe-and-detection method, making a powerful platform for future applications involving humanoid robots and taste monitoring devices.
PubMed: 32548269
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba5785 -
Protist Oct 2022Loxodes is one of the best ecologically characterized ciliate genera with numerous intriguing physiological abilities, including gravity-sensing organelles and nitrate...
Loxodes is one of the best ecologically characterized ciliate genera with numerous intriguing physiological abilities, including gravity-sensing organelles and nitrate respiration. However, these cells have been considered challenging to cultivate in bulk, and are poorly preserved by conventional fixatives used for fluorescence microscopy. Here we describe methods to grow and harvest Loxodes cells in bulk with liquid soil extract medium, as well as a new fixative called ZFAE (zinc sulfate, formaldehyde, acetic acid, ethanol) that can fix Loxodes cells more effectively than buffered formaldehyde or methanol. We show that ZFAE is compatible with immunofluorescence and the nuclear stain DAPI. Loxodes is thus now amenable to long-term maintenance, large-scale growth, and modern cell biology investigations of monoclonal strains in laboratory conditions.
Topics: Fixatives; Methanol; Nitrates; Zinc Sulfate; Ciliophora; Formaldehyde; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Ethanol; Soil
PubMed: 36027633
DOI: 10.1016/j.protis.2022.125905 -
European Journal of Pharmaceutical... Jan 2017Coadministration of pomegranate rind extract (PRE) and zinc (II) ions has recently been reported as a potential new topical treatment for Herpes simplex virus (HSV)...
Coadministration of pomegranate rind extract (PRE) and zinc (II) ions has recently been reported as a potential new topical treatment for Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections. In the current work we examined the in vitro topical delivery of punicalagin (major phytochemical of PRE) and zinc from hydrogels across epithelial membranes that can become infected with HSV. Porcine epidermal, buccal and vaginal mucous membranes were excised and mounted in Franz diffusion cells and dosed with a simple hydrogel containing PRE and zinc sulphate (ZnSO). The permeation of punicalagin and zinc were determined by HPLC and ICPMS respectively; punicalagin was also determined in the basal layers by reverse tape stripping. Receptor phases from the epidermal membrane experiment were also used to challenge HSV-1 in Vero host cells, and ex vivo porcine skin was used to probe COX-2 modulation. Punicalagin and zinc permeated each of the three test membranes, with significantly greater amounts of both delivered across the epidermal membrane. The amounts of punicalagin permeating the buccal and vaginal membranes were similar, although the amount of zinc permeating the vaginal membrane was comparatively very large - it is known that zinc interacts with vaginal mucosa. The punicalagin recovered by reverse tape stripping of the epidermal, buccal and vaginal membranes gave 0.47±0.016, 0.45±0.052 and 0.51±0.048nMcm respectively, and were statistically the same (p<0.05). A 2.5 log reduction was achieved against HSV-1 using diffusion cell receptor phase, and COX-2 expression was reduced by 64% in ex vivo skin after 6h. Overall, a hydrogel containing 1.25mgmL PRE and 0.25M ZnSO was able to topically deliver both the major bioactive compound within PRE and Zn (II) across all membranes and into the site specific region of Herpes simplex vesicular clusters, while maintaining potentiated virucidal and anti-inflammatory properties. This novel therapeutic system therefore has potential for the topical treatment of HSV infections.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antiviral Agents; Chlorocebus aethiops; Cyclooxygenase 2; Female; Herpes Simplex; Herpesvirus 1, Human; Hydrogels; Hydrolyzable Tannins; Hypromellose Derivatives; In Vitro Techniques; Mucous Membrane; Skin; Swine; Vero Cells; Zinc Sulfate
PubMed: 27516148
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2016.08.013 -
Food Science and Biotechnology Jan 2020This study was conducted to identify the sensory characteristics of six blended teas containing different ingredients and analyze penalty factors for the products based...
This study was conducted to identify the sensory characteristics of six blended teas containing different ingredients and analyze penalty factors for the products based on consumer acceptance, check-all-that-apply questions, and the just-about-right scale. Ten trained panelists created a descriptive set of 23 sensory attributes, and 93 consumers participated in the tests. The attributes were analyzed by classifying them as per appearance, odor/aroma, flavor/taste, texture/mouthfeel, and any aftertaste. Principal component analysis results showed that the blended teas were differentiated by artificial fruit flavor. According to the results of this study, the ideal products should be relatively sweet, mild, fruit flavored, and not too bitter, astringent, pungent, and strong or do not have fermented flavor; astringency is the most troublesome attribute. The consumers preferred teas that were less bitter and less astringent and did not leave the tongue coated with powder; therefore, these attributes were believed to act as drivers of "dislike."
PubMed: 31976128
DOI: 10.1007/s10068-019-00643-3 -
Indian Pediatrics Dec 2023Background: Enterohepatic bilirubin circulation is one of the determinants of neonatal jaundice. (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of Oral Zinc Supplementation on Serum Bilirubin Levels in Term Neonates With Hyperbilirubinemia Undergoing Phototherapy: A Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial.
BACKGROUND
Background: Enterohepatic bilirubin circulation is one of the determinants of neonatal jaundice.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the role of oral zinc in reducing serum bilirubin in term neonates with hyperbilirubinemia.
STUDY DESIGN
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
PARTICIPANTS
106 term neonates with jaundice within the phototherapy range admitted to a level III neonatal intensive care unit.
INTERVENTION
Neonates were randomized and allocated to receive either oral zinc sulfate (5 mg/day) or matching placebo for 5 days. Both groups received conventional phototherapy as per American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines.
OUTCOMES
Primary: Reduction in total serum bilirubin levels at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hr after intervention. Secondary: Duration of phototherapy, and hospital stay.
RESULTS
The mean (SD) total serum bilirubin levels in zinc and placebo groups were 15.3 (2.85) vs 17.1 (2.21) mg/dL (MD 1.74; P<0.001) at 24 h; 11.7 (4.46) vs. 14.62 (3.83) mg/dL (MD 2.89; P<0.001) at 48 h; 6.7 (4.77) vs 9.5 (3.70) mg/dL (MD 2.79; P <0.001) at 72 h; and 5.1 (3.95) vs 6.5 (3.70) mg/dL (MD 1,49; P=0.045) after 72 hr, respectively. The mean (SD) duration of phototherapy was significantly lower in zinc group than placebo group [ 53.42 (19.62) vs 71.4 (19.43) h; P<0.001]. There was no significant difference in hospital stay between the two groups [mean (SD) 81.05 (19.43) vs 86.25 (20.02) h; P= 0.227].
CONCLUSION
Oral zinc sulfate supplementation at a dose of 5 mg once a day along with phototherapy significantly reduced total and indirect serum bilirubin levels and also reduced the total duration of phototherapy required in the term neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, with minimal or no adverse effects.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Humans; Child; Zinc; Zinc Sulfate; Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal; Jaundice, Neonatal; Bilirubin; Phototherapy; Digestive System Diseases; Dietary Supplements
PubMed: 37700584
DOI: No ID Found