Main tastes

In Western culture, the concept of “basic tastes” dates back to at least the time of Aristotle .

Aristotle referred to “ sweet ” and “ bitter ” as the main ones, and “ meaty taste ”, “ salty ”, “ hot ”, “ tart ”, “ astringent ” and “ sour ” - as developed from these two “main” ones. In the ancient Chinese philosophy of the five elements , five basic tastes were described: bitter , salty , sour , sweet and spicy .

Some Japanese researchers mention a taste called kokumi , which is described as a variable in strength and duration of the feeling of "fullness" of the oral cavity, "density".

In the terminology of professional tasters ( food , tea , coffee , wine , tobacco ), the number of basic tastes used is much larger, but these terms refer more to aroma than to taste itself.

The concept of a limited number of “basic tastes” dates back to the ancient worldview, which is based on the idea of ​​finding a limited number of reasons for a universal explanation of the observed facts, a kind of atomism. However, the perception of taste also includes a sociocultural component determined by the nature of food and the traditions of peoples who do not belong to European culture, therefore, as we generalize the data, we open up more and more new approaches to describing tastes. There is a likelihood, by analogy with recent studies of odor perception, that the number of individual different types of taste buds is much larger than the traditionally allocated 4-5.

Salty

Its standard carrier is sodium chloride (sodium chloride), especially ion (Cl ^- ). It is detected by the ion channel receptors in the tongue, changing the action potential . At the same time, salty and sour tastes interfere strongly, making it difficult for us to understand which factor is stronger.

Sour

Sour taste is uniquely associated with the pH of the liquid. The mechanism of perception is similar to the perception of salt. Hydroxonium ions occur during acid dissociation . Since the pH of a person’s saliva is close to a neutral value (pH = 7), (in children, the pH is 7.04 ± 0.03, although in adults the glands located in the oral cavity secrete several different secrets - on the root of the tongue, hard and the soft palate there are mucous salivary glands , the secret of which contains a lot of mucin , another secret in the submandibular and sublingual glands).

In adults, mixed saliva located in the oral cavity has a pH = 6.8 ... 7.4, so the tongue can feel more or less acidic zones in the mouth. If the product has a pH <7, we taste sour. At pH> 7 we feel the so-called. “Soapy” taste. A convenient standard of acidity is acetic acid solutions (for comparison, the acidity of gastric juice is normal at pH ~ 1).

Sweet

Sweetness is usually associated with the presence of sugars, but the same sensation arises from glycerin, certain protein substances, amino acids (aspartame). One of the chemical carriers of the "sweet" are hydroxo groups in large organic molecules - sugar, as well as polyols - sorbitol, xylitol. Sweet detectors - G-proteins located in the taste buds. A system of "secondary intermediaries" is used, specifically cAMP , associated with H⁺ channels, that is, the reception of an "acidic taste".

Gorky

Bitterness, like sweetness, is perceived through G-proteins . Historically, the bitter taste has been associated with an unpleasant sensation, and possibly with the health hazard of certain plant products. Indeed, most plant alkaloids are simultaneously toxic and bitter, and evolutionary biology has reason for this conclusion.

The synthetic bitter substance denatonium (known under the trademark Bitrex ^[1] ) was synthesized in 1958 . Its derivative (Denatonium benzoate) is used as a “repellent agent” to prevent accidental internal use of toxic substances, such as children or animals.

Phenylthiocarbamide (abbreviation PTC ) is very bitter for most people, but imperceptible to some. This is due to the genetic characteristics of some people.

Quinine , a natural substance used as a medicine for malaria , is known as the “reference bitterness” and is used in the manufacture of certain soft drinks and gin.

The starchy taste was officially described recently (earlier it was believed that carbohydrates themselves can have only a sweet taste). Such a “starchy” taste is possessed by products that contain carbohydrates and polysaccharides ^[2] . An experiment with a rat is described: she was given the choice between two vessels with a liquid: in one there was just water, and in the other there was water with a 0.5 percent starch solution. The rat chose a solution of water with starch. A person rarely feels the taste of starch due to the addition of sugar.

Umami

The "fifth taste", traditionally used in Chinese culture, in other countries of the east. Umami (from Japanese) - the name of the taste sensation produced by free amino acids, in particular glutamine , which can be found in fermented and seasoned foods, such as Parmesan and Roquefort cheeses, in soy and fish sauces. They are also found in a large number of unfermented foods, such as walnuts, grapes, broccoli , tomatoes, mushrooms and, to a lesser extent, in meat. The human language has L-glutamate receptors, so scientists consider the minds separate from the salty taste ^[3] .

Glutamates are best felt in combination with salted foods ( monosodium glutamate ) - perhaps this explains why tomatoes and some other foods seem much tastier if they are salted. Moody-style sauces and salted sauces are very popular in cooking: tomato sauces and ketchup in western cuisine, soy and fish sauces in eastern. Inosinic acid (often added in the form of sodium inosinate ) is itself tasteless, but has the property of enhancing the taste of glutamic acid 5-6 times.

Fat

Fatty has been mentioned from time to time as a characteristic of taste since at least the 1800s. Some researchers are not yet sure that this sensation is differentiated in all people, and, referring to the fact that experiments were conducted on animals, they are in no hurry to recognize this taste as “basic”.

A person undoubtedly perceives a “fatty” taste - but this sensation is not so clearly expressed as the standard tetrad “sweet-sour-bitter-salty” is usually distinguished.

In some people with impaired liver function (for example, after hepatitis ), taste, seeing fat can cause discomfort.

Hot

Main article: Burning Taste

Currently not the main tastes. The taste is associated with substances that stimulate the "thermal" receptors - ethanol , capsaicin (the active ingredient of red pepper ), piperine (the active ingredient of black pepper ) - they excite the branches of the trigeminal nerve and contribute to the "pure taste" sensation.

Cooling taste

Some substances (such as menthol ) can act on the TRPM8 protein found in cold receptors . That is why when they get on the tongue and mucous membranes of the mouth there is a feeling of a cooling taste ^[4] .

Tart

This taste is associated with the reception of tannins ( tannins in tea, in thorns , etc.). The mechanism of its occurrence is associated with the binding of tannins and proline- rich proteins ^[5] . With insufficiently developed terminology in individual social or language groups, this taste does not stand out and is assessed as a bitter variant.

1. "Taste bud" for fatty foods found . BBC News (November 2, 2005). Date of treatment October 28, 2010. Archived February 26, 2012.
2. Society for Research on Umami Taste

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