Matching Items (2)
Description
The unpleasant bitter taste found in many nutritious vegetables may deter their consumption. While bitterness suppression by prototypical tastants is well-studied in the chemical and pharmacological fields, mechanisms to reduce the bitterness of foods such as vegetables remain to be elucidated. Here tastants representing the taste primaries of salty and sweet were investigated as potential bitterness suppressors of three types of Brassicaceae vegetables. The secondary aim of these studies was to determine whether the bitter masking agents were differentially effective for bitter-sensitive and bitter-insensitive individuals. In all experiments, participants rated vegetables plain and with the addition of tastants. In Experiments 1-3, sucrose and NNS suppressed the bitterness of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower, whereas NaCl did not. Varying concentrations of NaCl and sucrose were introduced in Experiment 4 to assess the dose-dependency of the effects. While sucrose was a robust bitterness suppressor, NaCl suppressed bitterness only for participants who perceived the plain Brussels sprouts as highly bitter. Experiment 5, through the implementation of a rigorous control condition, determined that some but not all of this effect can be accounted for by regression to the mean. Individual variability in taste perception as determined by sampling of aqueous bitter, salty, and sweet solutions did not influence the degree of suppression by NaCl or sucrose. Consumption of vegetables is deterred by their bitter taste. Utilizing tastants to mask bitterness, a technique that preserves endogenous nutrients, can circumvent this issue. Sucrose is a robust bitter suppressor whereas the efficacy of NaCl is dependent upon bitterness perception of the plain vegetables.
ContributorsWilkie, Lynn Melissa (Author) / Capaldi Phillips, Elizabeth D (Thesis advisor) / Cohen, Adam (Committee member) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Sanabria, Federico (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Urinary sucrose and fructose has been suggested as a predictive biomarker of total sugars intake based on research involving UK adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between total sugars consumption and 24-hour urinary sucrose and fructose (24uSF) in US adult population and to investigate the effect of physical activity on this association. Fifty seven free-living healthy subjects 20 to 68 years old, participated in a 15-day highly controlled feeding study, consuming their habitual diet, provided by the research metabolic kitchen. Dietary sugars were estimated using Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR). Subjects collected eight 24-hour urine samples measured for urinary sucrose and fructose. Physical activity was assessed daily using a validated 15-day log that inquired about 38 physical activities across six domains; home activities, transportation, occupation, conditioning, sports and leisure. The mean total sugars intake and added sugars intake of the sample was 112.2 (33.1) g/day and 65.8 (29.0) g/day (9.7%EI), respectively. Significant moderate positive correlation was found between 15-d mean total sugars intake and 8-day mean 24uSF (r = 0.56, p < 0.001). Similarly, added sugars were moderately correlated with 24uSF (r = 0.56, p < 0.001), while no correlation was found between naturally-occurring sugars and 24uSF (r = 0.070, p < 0.001). In a linear multiple regression, total and added sugars each explained 30% of variability in 24uSF (Adjusted R2, p value; total sugars: 0.297, 0.001; added sugars: 0.301, p < 0.001). Physical activity had no effect on the association between dietary and urinary sugars in neither the correlation nor the linear regression analysis. 24uSF can be used as a biomarker for total and added sugars consumption in US adults, although its predictability was weaker compared to findings involving UK adults. No evidence was found showing that physical activity levels affect the association between 24uSF and total sugars intake in US adults. More detailed investigation through future feeding studies including subjects with wide range of sugars intake and of different ethnic/racial backgrounds are needed to better understand the characteristics of the biomarker and its uses.
ContributorsMohan, Chitra (Author) / Tasevska, Natasha (Thesis advisor) / Ainsworth, Barbara (Committee member) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019