Effect of temperature, pH, and ions on sweet taste

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of temperature (50 degrees C and 6 degrees C), pH (pH 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, and 7.0) and the addition of monovalent and divalent cations (5 mM Na+,5 mM K+, and 5 mM Ca 2+) on the sweetness intensity ratings of sweeteners ranging widely in chem ical structure. A trained panel provided intensity evaluations for prototyp ical tastes (sweet, bitter, sour, and salty) as well as aromatic and mouth- feel attributes. The following sweeteners were included in this experiment: three sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), three terpenoid glycosides (mon oammonium glycyrrhizinate, rebaudioside-A, stevioside), two polyhydric alco hols (mannitol, sorbitol), two dipeptide derivatives (alitame, aspartame), two N-sulfonylamides (acesulfame-K, sodium saccharin), one sulfamate (sodiu m cyclamate), one protein (thaumatin), one dihydrochalcone (neohesperidin d ihydrochalcone), and one chlorodeoxysugar (sucralose). Two to five levels o f each sweetener reflecting a range of sweetness intensities were tested, u sing formulae developed by DuBois et al. The main finding from this three-p art study was that temperature, pH, and ions had little effect on perceived sweetness intensity. Even when significant differences were found in the t emperature study, the effects were very small. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science In c. All rights reserved.