A simple technique for the evaluation of temporal taste properties

Abstract

A simple method has been developed for the estimation of taste onset or appearance time (AT) and of taste persistence or extinction time (ET) for sweet tasting compounds. Saccharin, cyclamate and aspartame were demonstrated to be similar to sucrose (AT:4s, ET: 13s) in temporal sensory properties in that both short taste ATs (4–5s) and ETs (13–19s) were found. Monoammonium glycyrrhizzinate was found to exhibit both a lengthy AT (16s) and ET (69s). Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone showed intermediate behavior (AT:9s; ET:40s) whereas a synthetic analogue exhibited substantially more sucrose-like properties (AT:8s; ET:29s). Stevioside exhibited sucrose-like taste onset (AT:4s), but showed significantly longer persistence (ET:22s). Two synthetic analogues having improved taste quality were judged not significantly different in temporal taste properties. Arabinogalactan and salts of guanosine 5′ -monophosphate and inosine 5′ -monophosphate, all of which have been reported to have the property of reducing sweet taste persistence, showed no significant effect on the temporal properties of monoammonium glycyrrhizzinate by our analysis.