AN INTENSITY TIME STUDY OF THE TASTE OF AMINO-ACIDS

An intensity/time study of the taste of selected amino acids was carried out. Intensity, persistence and total gustatory response were assessed at five concentrations. Ten amino acids were assessed for sweetness and eleven amino acids were assessed for bitterness, four amino acids being assessed for both sweetness and bitterness. Both a linear function and a power function, I = Kc(n) where I is taste intensity, c is concentration, K is a constant and n is the exponent of taste intensity), were fitted to the data. The accession efficiencies for taste recognition and taste detection were found Kinetic equations were used to find K(m), the affinity of the receptor site for the sapid molecule. Limited relationships between chemical structure of the amino acids and their temporal properties were found.