FLAVOR AND TASTE
Jun 11, 2015
FLAVOR AND TASTE
TASTES
…are the “sensations we
detect when a substance
comes in contact with the
taste buds on the tongue”
TASTE BUDS
“The smallest functional unit of taste”
Found in the papillae
Taste receptor cells: several in each taste
bud
SOUR SALTY BITTER SWEET
Sweet: comes from naturally occurring sugars
(fructose and sucrose) or added sugars
Sour: opposite of sweet and found in acidic foods
Salty: comes from adding sodium chloride (with
the exception of oysters and seaweed)
Bitter: caused by alkaloids and used as a survival
mechanism for inedible or toxic foods
UMAMI
Close to what we understand as
savory
Naturally occurring in foods with the amino acid
glutamate• Cheese, meat, soy sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes, wine
FACTORS THAT AFFECT TASTE
Temperature: warm foods have stronger
tastes (except salty)
Consistency: dense foods take longer to
perceive
Fats: some compounds that offer “taste”
are dissolved in fat
FLAVOR
“Combination of the tastes,
aromas, and other sensations
caused by the presence of a
foreign substance in the mouth”
OLFACTORY SENSE
FLAVOR PROFILES
Top notes: first sharp flavors
Middle notes: more subtle (dairy, poultry,
vegetables, fish, meats)
Low notes: dominant and lingering (beans,
chocolate, mushrooms, tomatoes, meats)
Aftertaste: final lingering flavor (bitterness of
chocolate)
Roundness: unity through butter, cream, salt,
sugar
Depth: broad range
BALANCE
Introducing various taste
components to balance the
flavor of food