Investigating taste sensitivity, chemesthetic sensation and their relationship with emotion perception in Chinese young and older adults

Factors explaining individual differences in the oral perception of capsaicin, l‐menthol, and aluminum ammonium sulfate

“…Moreover, clinical research in South Korea on patients with chronic cough showed that elderly women were more sensitive to capsaicin among adults. 46 In contrast to earlier studies, 26 , 27 we found that increasing age as a continuous variable explained capsaicin sensitivity (Table 3 ) suggesting sensitivity decreases when getting older. Additionally, when age was treated as a grouped variable, the oldest subjects were more likely to be less sensitive than younger subjects.…”

“…In addition to oral cavity, studies on nasal chemesthesis suggest individual differences for capsaicin and l ‐menthol 5,6 . Earlier research findings have discovered that age is not associated with capsaicin elicited pungency intensity 26,27 . A study on the intranasal trigeminal system ( N = 16) suggested that older subjects (59–67 years) have a higher threshold and reduced sensitivity for l ‐menthol compared to younger subjects (18–35 years) 22 .…”

“…5 , 6 Earlier research findings have discovered that age is not associated with capsaicin elicited pungency intensity. 26 , 27 A study on the intranasal trigeminal system ( N = 16) suggested that older subjects (59–67 years) have a higher threshold and reduced sensitivity for l ‐menthol compared to younger subjects (18–35 years). 22 In another study ( N = 29), men and women displayed similar threshold levels for l ‐menthol when applied as a nasal chemesthetic stimulus.…”

Development of an Effective Protocol for Evaluating the Saltiness Intensity Enhancement of Umami Compounds

“…Currently, six main salt reduction methods have been developed to improve high-salt eating habits and design low-salt foods: (1) optimization of the crystal structure of table salt; (2) addition of the plant extracts; (3) nonsodium salt substitutions, such as potassium salt, magnesium salt, calcium salt, etc. ; (4) the multi-sensory synergistic effect in enhancing the saltiness perception through the cross-modal interaction of smell and taste; (5) optimization of the texture characteristics of food to control the release of NaCl in the oral cavity; and (6) addition of the flavor enhancers, such as yeast extract, nucleotides, amino acids, salty peptides, and low-concentration organic acids. − Moreover, it has been confirmed that umami compounds had a strong synergistic effect on saltiness enhancement. , Studies have explored the reduction of the sodium contents in food by adding umami ingredients, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), l -alanine (Ala), l -glycine (Gly), disodium succinate, and 5ˈ-nucleotide disodium without significantly decreasing the saltiness intensity. − Except for these compounds, the umami peptides and amino acid derivatives including glycine and glycine monoethyl ester also played an important role in saltiness enhancement. , However, many salt-reduced products have some challenges in saltiness perception, such as insufficient satisfaction, stimulation, and retention time during oral processing, resulting in low consumer acceptance. − Moreover, among these salt reduction methods, the substitution effect and synergistic mechanism of umami compounds on saltiness perception lack in-depth investigation.…”

“…Currently, six main salt reduction methods have been developed to improve high-salt eating habits and design lowsalt foods: (1) optimization of the crystal structure of table salt; 12 (2) addition of the plant extracts; 13 (3) nonsodium salt substitutions, such as potassium salt, magnesium salt, calcium salt, etc. ; 14 (4) the multi-sensory synergistic effect in enhancing the saltiness perception through the cross-modal interaction of smell and taste; 15 (5) optimization of the texture characteristics of food to control the release of NaCl in the oral cavity; 16 and (6) addition of the flavor enhancers, such as yeast extract, nucleotides, amino acids, salty peptides, and low-concentration organic acids.…”