Effects of aging on taste thresholds: A case of Asian people

Abstract

This research investigated the effects of aging on taste thresholds of Asian people. Ninety subjects were recruited to form three age groups: young (20–39 years), middle‐aged (40–59 years), and elderly (60–85 years). Detection and recognition thresholds of sweet (sucrose, aspartame, acesulfame‐K, sucralose), salty (sodium chloride, potassium chloride), sour (citric acid, acetic acids), bitter (caffeine), and umami (monosodium glutamate, inosine 5ʹ‐monophosphate) taste compounds were measured using the 3‐alternative forced choice ascending concentration series method of limits. Significant (p ≤ .05) increases in both threshold values with age were found for all of the salty, sour, bitter, and umami taste compounds, indicating a decline in sensitivity toward these tastes. To detect or recognize the taste compound dissolved in water the elderly needed 2.1–4.5 (salty), 1.7 (sour), 2.3–3.4 (umami), and 2.5–2.7 (bitter) folds higher concentration than young subjects. Threshold values of most sweet compounds were not significantly (p > .05) affected by aging except sucralose. Practical applications Understanding changes in taste sensitivity of the elderly is necessary for product developers and manufacturers in designing foods for aging populations. Information on the extent of the decline in sensitivity toward various taste compounds revealed in this study could be useful for formulating food recipes for the elderly.

Effect of physiological factors, pathologies, and acquired habits on the sweet taste threshold: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…The RT ( Figure 2b) was significantly higher among older people (SMD: −0.46; 95% CI, −0.74 to −0.19; I 2 : 73%; Tau 2 : 0.18). This outcome was supported by the results of eight studies that reported a significant direct relation between aging and sucrose RT (Dye & Koziatek, 1981;Easterby-Smith, Besford, & Heath, 1994;Fukunaga et al, 2005;Kennedy et al, 2010;Richter & MacLean, 1939;Wardwell et al, 2009;Wiriyawattana et al, 2018;Yamauchi et al, 2002b). In fact, only one study reported the contrary (Wayler, Perlmuter, Cardello, Jones, & Chauncey, 1990) and another did not find any significant result (Kalantari, Kalantari, & Hashemipour, 2017).…”

“…In the case of DT (Figure 2a), eight comparisons found significantly higher sucrose thresholds in older versus younger participants (Bales, Steinman, Freeland‐Graves, Stone, & Young, 1986; Da Silva et al., 2014; Fukunaga, Uematsu, & Sugimoto, 2005; Kennedy, Law, Methven, Mottram, & Gosney, 2010; Mojet, 2001; Moore, Nielsen, & Mistretta, 1982; Spitzer, 1988; Yamauchi, Endo, & Yoshimura, 2002b), two described the opposite (James, Laing, & Oram, 1997; Stevens, 1996), and five reported no significant differences (James et al., 1997; Mojet, 2001; Mojet, Christ‐Hazelhof, & Heidema, 2005; Wardwell, Chapman‐Novakofski, & Brewer, 2009; Wiriyawattana, Suwonsichon, & Suwonsichon, 2018). However, based on the overall effect, differences in DT between age groups were not significant.…”

“…Our findings indicating that older people have a higher sucrose RT are in line with a previous meta‐analysis that addressed the effect of age on thresholds of five tastes (Methven, Allen, Withers, & Gosney, 2012). Some determinants hypothesized to explain taste loss in the elderly are internal factors, such as a diminishing number of taste buds, shorter lifespan of sensorial cells, and lower hyposalivation flow rate, or external factors, such as smoking, pharmaceutical or denture use, dietary habits, and difficulties in maintaining oral health (Sergi, Bano, Pizzato, Veronese, & Manzato, 2017; Wiriyawattana et al., 2018).…”

Quantifying Sweet Taste Liker Phenotypes: Time for Some Consistency in the Classification Criteria

“…The particular concentration range tested was equivalent to sucrose solutions between 1.07% and 34.23% ( w/v ) based on density at 20 °C [30], and were chosen to reflect four different considerations: (1) previously reported effects of age on sucrose recognition thresholds [31,32,33]; (2) the most commonly used sucrose concentrations in prior relevant studies (reviewed in Reference [11]); (3) the sweetness typically encountered in sugar-sweetened beverages [34]; and (4) a compromise between equal log spacing and serial dilution for sample preparation.…”

Understanding variation in food oral processing behaviorof consumers differing in age, gender and ethnicity : a physiological perspective

“…During ageing, texture (Kremer et al, 2007), taste and smell sensitivity (Cowart et al, 1994;Methven et al, 2012;Mojet et al, 2001;Stevens et al, 1998;Wiriyawattana et al, 2018) are well-known to decline. Several studies reported that females have higher taste sensitivity than males (Ahne et al, 2000;Gudziol & Hummel, 2007;Hyde & Feller, 1981;Landis et al, 2009;Michon et al, 2009;Pingel et al, 2010).…”