Taste

Scientists at the University of Buffalo have made a discovery that could shake up what we know about the sense of smell in humans, with the breakthrough focusing on a new type of taste cell with the ability to respond to different stimuli.

Not all maple syrups are created equal. There are actually over 60 taste categories that syrups fall into, as determined by human taste-testers. Soon, though, a solution containing gold nanoparticles could save those people some work.

New research has found the bitter characteristics of coffee can make a person more sensitive to sweetness. The study found this effect was independent of caffeine and helps explain why many people enjoy the experience of dark chocolate with coffee.

Some medical experts around the world are suggesting a loss of the sense of smell may be an early indication of COVID-19. The preliminary, and still anecdotal, observation is not officially recognized as a COVID-19 symptom by the WHO at this stage.

A study is suggesting people with high self-control regarding what they eat are likely to consume more food if they touch it directly with their hands. The findings reveal food can taste better when we touch it as opposed to eating it with utensils.

​If you worked as a taste-tester of spicy foods, you'd only be able to try a few samples at a time – after that, your taste buds would become desensitized and need a rest. A newly-developed "electronic tongue," however, can accurately measure the spiciness of multiple foods for hours at a time.

According to a new study from ​Northwestern University, our preference for sweet or bitter beverages isn't so much about flavor, but about the psychoactive buttons these drinks push​ in our brains.

We know that our perception of flavor involves a complex interaction between odors detected in the nose and tastes sensed by our tongue. A study has discovered the same olfactory receptors that detect odors in our nose can be found in taste cells on the tongue.

In extreme cases the flu virus can actually reshape the structure of the lungs. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a major part of that restructuring that until now had gone unnoticed – “taste bud cells” seem to grow in the lungs after a severe case of the flu.

The subjective nature of taste has made pinning down where this sense is processed in the brain difficult. But now researchers have finally homed in on the brain's "sweet spot," revealing the center responsible for processing different types of tastes.

Research has revealed that people with a preference for drinking coffee over tea tend to display a genetic variant that signals a higher sensitivity to tasting bitterness in caffeine. This counter-intuitive finding suggests the bitterness of caffeine reinforces an attraction to the beverage.

Researchers have found that the brain's complex systems for processing taste can be effectively manipulated. In mice, the researchers were able to directly manipulate neurons in the brain, removing the ability to taste sweet and bitter foods, or to make sweet foods taste bitter, and vice versa.