Search results for "bitter"

Human salivary proteome and sensitivity to bitterness

2012

Bitterness is present in every day beverages (e.g. coffee) and foods (e.g. vegetables such as cruciferous plants). However, bitterness is perceived differently among individuals and some foods considered as healthy may be rejected due to their bitter taste. Several genetic (eg. genetic polymorphism of bitter taste receptors) or environmental (eg. age, medications) factors partly explain the interindividual variability in bitterness perception. However, other peri-receptor factors may intervene, in particular salivary composition. First, in order to investigate the link between salivary proteome and sensitivity to bitterness, the detection threshold to the bitter taste of caffeine was measur…

Fruit chemical and sensory characteristics of five loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl) cultivars.

2014

Bitter taste genetics and food preference in italian population

2010

Objective: To investigate the possible role of the polymorphic bitter taste gene, TAS2R38, known to be involved in the perception of the bitter synthetic chemical phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), in influencing food preference and body mass index(BMI). Methods: up to now more than 1500 university students (17-25 years old) at Catania, Cosenza, Rome, Palermo, Pisa, Parma, Chieti, Trento University have been enrolled in the study. DNA was extracted from saliva, and genotyped by TaqMan assay for the most frequent polymorphism (PAV/AVI) of TAS2R38 gene. A possible association between genotype and food preference was assessed by administering a detailed questionnaire for food preferences and life styl…

A Novel Ionic Exchange Membrane Crystallizer to Recover Magnesium Hydroxide from Seawater and Industrial Brines

2020

A novel technology, the ion exchange membrane crystallizer (CrIEM), that combines reactive and membrane crystallization, was investigated in order to recover high purity magnesium hydroxide from multi-component artificial and natural solutions. In particular, in a CrIEM reactor, the presence of an anion exchange membrane (AEM), which separates two-compartment containing a saline solution and an alkaline solution, allows the passage of hydroxyl ions from the alkaline to the saline solution compartment, where crystallization of magnesium hydroxide occurs, yet avoiding a direct mixing between the solutions feeding the reactor. This enables the use of low-cost reactants (e.g., Ca(OH)2) without …

Magnesium Hydroxide Nanoparticles Production from Natural Bitterns

2022

Magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles are widely employed in numerous industrial applications. Several preparation methods have been proposed using mainly synthetic Mg2+ containing solutions. In the present work, the possibility of producing Mg(OH)2 nanoparticles from real bitterns, the by-product of sea salt production, is investigated. Bitterns are highly concentrated Mg2+ containing solutions whose exploitation can turn a waste into valuable products embracing the circular economy idea. Two bitterns collected from Galia and Margi saltworks of the district of Trapani (Italy) were studied. Galia and Margi bitterns had a 1 M and 2.5 M Mg2+ concentration, respectively. A 2 mm diameter circular-c…

Evolution of the taste of a bitter camembert cheese during ripening : characterization of a matrix effect

2001

The objective of this study was to characterize the effect of ripening on the taste of a typically bitter Camembert cheese. The first step was to select a typically bitter cheese among several products obtained by different processes supposed to enhance this taste defect. Second, the evolution of cheese taste during ripening was characterized from a sensory point of view. Finally, the relative impact of fat, proteins, and water-soluble molecules on cheese taste was determined by using omission tests performed on a reconstituted cheese. These omission tests showed that cheese taste resulted mainly from the gustatory properties of water-soluble molecules but was modulated by a matrix effect d…

Enhancing salty taste through odour–taste–taste interactions: Influence of odour intensity and salty tastants’ nature

2013

WOS:000315557500017 ; www.elsevier.com/locate/foodqual; International audience; Decreasing the sodium content in food products without changing consumer acceptability has become an important challenge for the food industry, and several strategies are currently under investigation to reach this goal. This study investigated the effectiveness of saltiness enhancement by an odour to maintain the perception of saltiness in reduced salt content solutions. In the first experiment, we tested the hypothesis that odour intensity drives the level of saltiness enhancement. The results showed that odour can increase the salty intensity by 25%, while no clear influence of odour intensity either in taste…

Preferences for fat and basic tastes and in 3-, 6- and 12-month-old infants

2011

Fat perception received recent interest, but fat preference in human infants is a matter of debate. The objective here was to investigate fat and taste preferences in the same infants (N= 66) at 3, 6 and 12 months. Preference for a fat solution (sunflower and rapeseed oils mixed with soy lecithin) and for taste solutions (sweet, lactose; salty, NaCl; bitter, urea; sour, citric acid; umami, sodium glutamate) was evaluated. The same method was applied at each age. Mothers and their infant participated in 2 videotaped sessions, during which the 5 taste and fat solutions were assessed in a balanced order. For each taste, 4 bottles (water, tastant, tastant and water) were presented by the experi…

Taste, a new incentive to switch to (R)-praziquantel in schistosomiasis treatment.

2009

Background Praziquantel (PZQ) is the drug compound of choice in the control and treatment of schistosomiasis. PZQ is administered as a racemate, i. e. 1∶1 mixture of enantiomers. The schistosomicidal activity arises from one PZQ-enantiomer, whereas the other enantiomer does not contribute to the activity. The WHO's Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) has assigned the low-cost preparation of pure schistosomicidal (−)-PZQ a key priority for future R&D on PZQ, but so far this transition has not happened. PZQ has two major administration drawbacks, the first being the high dose needed, and its well documented bitter and disgusting taste. Attempts of taste-mask…

New insights into the bioactivity of cucurbitacins

2005

The cucurbitacins are a group of tetracyclic triterpenoids derived from the cucurbitane skeleton and found primarily in the Cucurbitaceae family. These triterpenoids, present in free or glycosidic form, are generally responsible for the bitter taste of the plants that contain them and are probably the principal cause of the antifeedant effects observed for such plants. Several plants used in traditional medicine to treat both inflammatory diseases as well as various types of tumors are rich in cucurbitacins, a fact which has given rise to several studies concerning their potential use as anti-inflammatory and anticancer agents. Nevertheless, since many cucurbitacins are extremely toxic, rel…