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THE CHEMISTRY BEHIND TASTE

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The chemical stimuli of most significance to taste are sugars (sweet), amino acids (umami), sodium chloride and other salts (salty), alkaloids (bitter) and acids (sour).  Without question, sugars and amino acids lead the selection process, where as alkaloids and acids take secondary position.  The intake of salts, however, depends on electrolyte balance.  The dilemma remains where the tongue tells the brain the quality of taste, yet the brain just bypasses the quality assessment in brainstem reflexes and assesses the qualities for hedonic value.

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It is deemed by global researchers there is an average of 20 to 30 levels of intensity which can be asserted for each taste.  Matters affecting taste sensitivity can include age, smoking, viscosity of products, taste disorders (ageusia, non-tasters, hypogeusia, hypergeusia, dysgeusia) and temperature.

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The sensory term which we term “flavor” is a mingled experience of sensations including vision, smell, temperature, pain, pressure and other tactile sensations (i.e. texture).  Ultimately though, flavor is based on human judgment.   

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Varying cultures have a range of ways of expressing how they interpret the importance of food and the way their meals are combined, served and enjoyed represent the value to the individuals and community.  We will discuss some differing views across the globe throughout the articles represented across the Leek! in the Boat! platforms.  You are welcome to engage with your own outlook from the influences in your life regarding food and share in the experience of trying new recipes and different ways of cooking, presenting and celebrating food, based on which aspects you find most intriguing.  

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THE 6 TASTES OF AYURVEDA

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Sweet, Sour, Salty, 

Spicy, Bitter, Astringent

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It is well understood across cultures taste is only one component of the joy of food.  Including the correct balance unlocks the nutritional value of foods and kick starts the digestion process.

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Sweet is the flavour of energy, which is measured in kilojoules triggering love, sharing and compassion.

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Sour foods make the mouth moist and increase the flow of saliva, which helps digestion and awakens emotions, clearing dryness through taste buds on the sides of the tongue.

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Sour, unripe fruits are commonly used as digestive chutneys in India for this reason.

The sour flavour is found in citrus fruits, sour milk products like yoghurt, cheese, and sour cream, and fermented food like sourdough bread, wine, vinegar, pickles, sauerkraut, soy sauce and often alcohol.

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Salt is grounding for the nervous system and encourages stability. People who are solid and reliable are known as ‘the salt of the earth’. However, Ayurveda says that excess use impacts the emotions; causing greed and the desire for more flavour.

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Spice can include options like chillies, garlic, onions and spices (black pepper, ginger, cayenne, cardamom). Pungent herbs and foods are great for drying excess moisture and mucus, and stimulating metabolism. For example, the essential oils of ginger and black pepper are used for clearing mucus congestion or warming for a heavy cold.

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There are no specific receptors on the tongue and we perceive this taste through irritation of tissues and nerve endings. The heat of hot foods and spices spreads throughout the whole system. Too much heat, whether climatic or dietary, is known to cause ‘hot’ emotions ranging from passion and excitement to anger and irritation.

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The bitter taste receptors are at the back of the tongue and are the body’s way of giving us a last line of defence.

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This taste is found in green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, rocket), courgette, aubergine, spices (turmeric, fenugreek, dandelion), coffee, tea and certain fruits (grapefruits, olives, bitter melon).

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The bitter taste creates space in the body by draining and drying excess fluids. It is also considered to support daily cleansing processes but too many bitter herbs can literally ‘space you out’ and leave you feeling fearful and anxious. So, like with the salt, it’s all about the right dose for the right person.

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The astringent flavour is found in plant compounds known as tannins. They are especially soluble in water; hence the drying nature of a strong cup of tea left to steep for too long. Other examples include legumes (beans and lentils), some fruits (cranberries, pomegranates, pears, dried fruit), vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke, asparagus, turnip), grains (rye, buckwheat, quinoa), spices (turmeric, marjoram), coffee, tea, dry crackers, and some raw vegetables and fruit skins

This taste helps support wound repairing and where there is excess fluid or swelling in the body.

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THE TASTE FACTOR IN AYURVEDA

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Temperature (hot or cold)

The selection of food either heats up or cools down the body. For example, cinnamon is pungent and hot, which raises body temperature. Grapes are sweet and cooling, which can help to cool you down.

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Quality (heavy or light, wet or dry, sharp or soft) defines food by how it is received by the mucus membranes.  Black pepper is spicy, light, dry and pervasive.

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Also, direction, being where the food travels in the body.  Each food surprisingly has an affinity for specific parts of our being. Garlic goes to the lungs, noticeably, as we can smell it on our (and other people’s) breath. Ginger has numerous ‘sites’, clearing mucus from the lungs, warming the skin, invigorating the blood and relaxing the muscles. Asparagus is renowned for making urine smell – Ayurveda knows asparagus is a bitter, cooling food that clears internal heat via the urinary system.

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Together in Ayurveda it is about balancing the doshas with flavours.  The 6 tastes satisfy each of the major dietary building blocks.  The brain computes body signals at the time it requires energy via food.  When all the six tastes are introduced into each meal, the signals can be better assured as being adequately addressed, helping to reduce food cravings or the excess consumption of particular foods.

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Reflect on how you feel two hours after consuming a meal with the combinations mentioned, of a balanced, varied meal in comparison with how you feel after a bowl of pasta with plain tomato sauce.  It is possible you may be craving a snack if you only have the last option.

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Adding six tastes in every meal isn't as complicated as it may sound.  You can simply  add a squeeze of lemon to cooked dishes to satisfy the sour taste, add a side salad to complete the bitter and astringent part.  The historical wisdom of Ayurvedic nutrition virtually sits on the tip of the tongue, which could be beneficial adding to your knowledge bank of how to enjoy food well.

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THE SCIENTIFIC POWER OF THE SENSES

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Sensory Evaluation is the scientific discipline used to evoke, measure, analyse and interpret reactions to those characteristics of foods and materials as they are perceived by the senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. (1975 Institute Food Technologist definition)

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The power of sensory evaluation is profound.  It takes an understanding of the primal psychology and physiology of the senses to determine how all aspects of the food affect our overall responses.  This interpretation will assist in improved perspectives of which products you choose to work with, as well as appreciate the controls for implementing successful sensory outcomes.

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The senses that will be portrayed here include aroma and flavour, tactile, sight and sound, while taste has been mentioned previously.

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AROMA & FLAVOUR

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The sense of smell is complex. Aroma, as well as flavour, are chemical senses affected by the chemical properties of odour molecules which must reach the olfactory bulb to interact with olfactory cells in the olfactory mucosa.

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Factors affecting odour sensitivity include interactions with other senses such as taste and vision/color. Colour can actually lead to the perception of smell, even if it isn’t present, increasing perceptions or distorting perceptions. Oddly, odour is subject to adaption, where one odour mostly has minimal effect on perception or dissimilar odours, but it can apparently interfere with the perception of more common ones.  As with taste, mentioned earlier, there are factors altering odour including again: age, gender, smoking, plus olfactory disorders (anosmia, hyposmia, hypersomnia and dysomia).

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TACTILE

 

Think hot chocolate, ice cold lemonade and carbonated sodas, as just a few examples of the influence of the largest sensory system, our skin, which includes the tongue.  The sense of touch assists in decision making and helps us avoid pain from pressure, heat and cold extremities.  Touch is often overlooked in the way we receive food presented.  

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SIGHT

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A colour can be associated with a flavour, such as a yellow beverage can be assumed to be a lemon flavour possibly.  Inference of food quality is easily first judged by color and appearance.  Color is the visual perception resulting from the stimulation of the retina by light.  The degree of light source,  distribution of wavelength within the light source, characteristics of absorption or transmission , surface dynamics of an object, the shape, reflectance, texture or surface all affect perceptions of food types and how they are shown. Physiologically the state of adaptation, angel, sensitivity of eye specific wave lengths and color vision deficiencies all matter as well.  It would seem obvious colour can aid in the decision making of food choices and overall satisfaction, but this will be dependent on the expectations of what the colours represent to an individual.

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SOUND

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Ever so interesting, the simplicity of squeezing  or spreading apart molecules in the air produce sound waves, creating vibrations. Sound is received in terms of frequency and amplitude.

The measurement of sound is measured in frequency (Hz) which is the number of cycles that a sound wave can complete in one second and corresponds to the pitch of a sound. Amplitude is the maximum pressure created by sound waves, often measured in decibels and corresponds to the perception of loudness.

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Sound waves reach the eardrum causing it to vibrate, which is then passed via the middle ear, on to the fluid-filled cochlea in the inner ear, where sensory cells pick up the vibration and send it along the auditory nerve to the brain.  Factors affecting sound perception include hearing impairments, conduction deafness, nerve deafness and interaction with other senses such as vision which increases localization accuracy.

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TEXTURE

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Crunching on a carrot is not definitive from sound, meaning a variety of senses are interrelated and occur simultaneously.  This means texture is represented as being the total sum of kinesthetic (muscle sense) and cutaneous sensations experienced by manual and oral manipulation. This includes mouthfeel, masticatory properties, residual properties and even visual and auditory properties when eating.  

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The three phases can be represented by the mechanical aspects of hardness, fracturability, and viscosity and the geometrical factors which are initially experienced.  Secondly, the masticatory stage involves the mechanical observation of gumminess, chewiness, and adhesiveness and all geometrical components undertaken during chewing. Lastly, the residual part incorporates those changes induced in the mechanical and geometrical characteristics of mastication.

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No one sense is responsible for how we embrace consumption of our meals, instead all of them as a composite do.  When designing your meals you may now wish to take these points onboard to be considered in more depth, with the goal of achieving the best responses to the culinary delights served for home or your brand, prompting you to be innovative in your product choices.

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TIPS:

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70% OF CONSUMERS say that texture makes for a more interesting eating experience. - (INNOVA MARKET INSIGHTS)

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Where inclusions are concerned determine the amount of water which may be in your base. Take for example, fruit additions to baked goods.  Fresh blueberries added to muffins generally cause water from the blueberries to soak into the muffin mix, preventing it from cooking properly, and making it sticky and soggy over time.  This ultimately affects its shelf life.   At home fresh blueberry muffin recipes may suggest dusting the berries in sugar first before mixing to create a barrier that will slow moisture spreading.  Gums and stabilizers can be utilised for commercial longtivity results, and even though it is accepted by some reports that in small doses it may not be harmful for the wider populous, scientific studies are often not extensive and the fact remains, there are numerous natural products which can likely result in equal outcomes and would seem safer and healthier.  Let's face it, fresh is best.

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RECIPE

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BLUEBERRY MUFFINS WITH LEMON GLAZE

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