Note. Influence of texture and type of hydrocolloid on perception of basictastes in carrageenan and gellan gels

Preliminary work was carried out on the effect of texture, as represented b y gel strength, between around 5 and 20 N of compression maximum force, of both carrageenan and gellan gels on the per ception of the four basic taste s. These were produced by addition of 15% (w/w) sucrose, 0.06% (w/w) caffei ne, 0.5% (w/w) sodium chloride, or a mixture of 0.15% (w/w) citric acid and 0.2% (w/w) sodium citrate. Low strength (5-8 N) carrageenan gels were swee ter, more salty and more sour than both medium (11-15 N) and high (18-24 N) strength ones. Differences in bitterness were shown only between low and h igh texture carrageenan gels. The same differences in sweetness caused by t exture were found between low and both medium and high strength gellan samp les. Differences in saltiness and sourness were only detected between gella n gels of extreme gel strengths, in favor of the weakest gels. No differenc e in bitterness was found for any of the pairs of gellan samples. On compar ing taste intensity between the two hydrocolloid gels at different strength levels, it was found that both medium and high strength gellan gels were s weeter and more salty than the corresponding carrageenan gels, confirming t he reported flavor-releasing properties of gellan.