Mechanisms of Human Flavor Perception

人类味觉感知机制

基本信息

批准号：
7302207
负责人：
LAWRENCE E MARKS
金额：
$ 35.24万
依托单位：
JOHN B. PIERCE LABORATORY, INC.
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2007
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2007-07-01 至 2011-06-30
项目状态：
已结题

项目摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): When foods or beverages are taken in the mouth, the resulting flavor perceptions emerge from sensory signals activated by stimulating several senses: taste (gustation), olfaction (retronasally, as air-borne particles reach olfactory receptors through the back of the mouth), and somatosensation (texture, warmth, cold, pungency). Flavor perception therefore involves the integration of signals from several modalities. Yet little is known about the mechanisms by which these multisensory signals combine and interact. The proposed research uses state-of-the-art behavioral (psychophysical) methods to test four quantitative hypotheses regarding the ways that gustatory and olfactory constituents of flavors interact in the human perception of flavor intensity and quality. (1) Using a standardized rating method, the first study tests the generality of, and limitations to, the hypothesis that taste and olfaction combine their signals additively in producing overall perceptions of flavor intensity. These experiments will test additivity in an experimental paradigm in which the relative concentrations of the gustatory and olfactory stimuli vary across test sessions to produce different degrees of contextual adaptation, thereby determining whether this adaptation affects additivity. (2) Using a simple response time procedure, the second study tests the hypothesis that the immediate sensory response to a flavor reflects the integration and interaction of signals from the gustatory and olfactory modalities. Integration yields facilitation (faster responses) when the two components are congruent (e.g., sucrose and citral), but less facilitation or even interference (slower responses) when the components are incongruent (e.g., MSG and citral). (3) The third study tests the hypothesis that increasing experience with (exposure to) incongruent flavor mixtures leads to greater facilitation as gauged by simple response time. (4) Using a choice response time method, the fourth study tests the hypothesis that the ability to distinguish different concentrations of a gustatory (or olfactory) flavorant is impaired when an olfactory (or gustatory) flavorant is added, the impairment being greater when the flavor combination is congruent (components less separable) rather than incongruent (more separable). The flavors of foods are important factors in food intake, and hence in the regulation of nutrition and body weight. A better understanding of flavor perception could contribute to the treatment of disorders of eating, nutrition, and body weight.

描述（由申请人提供）：当食用食物或饮料在口腔中时，通过刺激几种感觉激活的感觉信号出现了由此产生的风味感知：味道（味道），嗅觉（反性地，随着空气生物颗粒的后背粒子通过嘴巴的后部到达嗅觉受体），嘴巴的后部和体现体感（纹理，纹理，温度，punge，counter，counter，countenge）。因此，风味感知涉及几种方式的信号整合。然而，这些多感信号结合和相互作用的机制知之甚少。拟议的研究使用最先进的行为（心理物理）方法来检验四种定量假设，涉及口味和嗅觉成分在人类对风味强度和质量的感知中相互作用的方式。（1）使用标准化的评分方法，第一项研究测试了味道和嗅觉的假设的通用性和局限性，将其信号添加成真实地产生了对风味强度的整体看法。这些实验将在实验范式中测试添加性，在这种实验范式中，在该范式中，味觉和嗅觉刺激的相对浓度在测试过程中变化以产生不同程度的上下文适应性，从而确定这种适应是否会影响增强性。（2）使用简单的响应时间程序，第二项研究检验了以下假设：对风味的直接感觉响应反映了来自味觉和嗅觉方式的信号的整合和相互作用。当两个组成部分是一致的（例如蔗糖和柠檬味）时，整合会产生促进性（更快的响应），但是当组件不一致时（例如msg和citral）时，则促进甚至更少的促进甚至干扰（较慢的响应）。（3）第三项研究检验了以下假设：随着简单响应时间的评估，随着（暴露于）不一致的风味混合物（暴露于）不一致的风味混合物会导致更大的促进性。（4）使用选择响应时间方法，第四项研究检验了以下假设：当添加嗅觉（或味道）调味剂剂时，区分不同浓度的味觉（或嗅觉）味道的能力会受到损害，而当调味剂组合较小时，降低的损害更大，而不是不便（不适合分散的）。食物的口味是食物摄入量的重要因素，因此是营养和体重的调节。更好地了解风味感知可能有助于治疗饮食，营养和体重的疾病。