A Question of Taste
Each
of
us
has
a
personal
range
of
foods
we
enjoy.
It
could
be
the
smooth
taste
of
chocolate,
the
unique
taste
of
a
French
cheese
or
the
spiciness
of
a
pasta
sauce.
Our
preferences
for
some
foods
over
others
result
from
a
complex
interplay
among
many
factors
including
genetics,
age,
early
food
experiences,
ethnic
customs,
pleasantness
of
surroundings
when
trying
a
new
food
and
physiological
reactions
to
a
food.
One thing is clear - the flavour of foods is a most compelling influence in shaping our food choices. And while we are attuned to nutrition mes-sages, we often think that eating a more healthful diet means giving up tasty foods. Nutrition commu-nicators can combat these perceptions by assuring people that healthful and delicious eating can go hand in hand. More to taste than meets the tongueWhat we commonly call the "taste" of food is really "flavour", resulting from the interaction between the senses of taste and smell. Other sensations from foods, such as the burn of a chilli, the biteof a strong peppermint or the fizz of a carbonated drink, as well as texture, temperature and appearance all add to the flavour experience. As much as 80 percent of what we perceive as taste is actually smell. Humans can discern about 20,000 different odours and 10 or more intensities of each. Smell occurs when the odours reach the olfactory receptors inthe nasal cavity via two routes - inhalation through the nostrilsand through the back of the mouth as we chew and swallow.True taste occurs on the tongue. We are born with 10,000 taste buds locatedon the back, sides and the tip of the tongue, on the palate and in the throat. When taste receptor cells within the taste buds are excited by chemical stimuli, they detect five primary sensations: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and "umami", the savoury taste of glutamate found in protein foods and monosodium glutamate .
Taste changes through the ages
Taste buds first appear when a foetus is seven or eight weeks old and are functioning by the third trimester of pregnancy. A variety of tastes and flavours are transmitted through amniotic fluid to the foetus, Infants seem to experience the primary tastes to varying degrees. Breast-fed infants receive early exposure to a variety of flavours because breast milk carries the flavour of foods and spices eaten by the mother. Whether these and other early taste experiences affect food preferences later in life is the subject of ongoing research.
Taste declines with age
At about age 60, even healthy people begin to experience a modest decline…in taste perception and more dramatic declines in smell. Dulled taste and smell often result in a waning appetite, which puts the elderly at risk of malnutrition, weight loss and increased susceptibility of disease. Amplifying food flavours and providing pleasant food textures for older people can enhance their appetites and help improve their nutritional and immune status, One possibility to increase food flavours is using fruit juices, spices and herbs.
Tasteful recommendation
People are not likely to eat foods that they do not enjoy”, says dietitian Renate Frenz, Honorary Chairman of the European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD). "We all have individual personal food preferences and do not necessarily taste foods in the same way. Recognising personal taste preferences is therefore important when advising individuals.Balancing individualised nutritional recommendations with health needs, lifestyle factor and taste
