Search Results (241)

Soil salinity and bacterial spot of tomato (BST), caused by Xanthomonas perforans, are major abiotic and biotic stresses limiting tomato production, particularly in Florida. While their individual effects are well documented, the impact of soil salinity on BST has not yet been investigated. This greenhouse study evaluated how increasing irrigation water salinity (electrical conductivity [EC] = 0.5, 3, 5, or 7 dS m⁻¹) affected tomato growth, physiology, BST severity, fruit quality, and transcriptomic responses. Salinity reduced plant growth and BST severity but did not directly affect X. perforans populations. Results indicated that reduced plant physiological activity (net CO₂ assimilation [A], transpiration [E], and stomatal conductance [g_s]) contributes to lower disease levels. Increased salinity led to more solute concentrations, altered sugar metabolism, and improved perceived taste, as supported by taste panel, osmolality, and transcriptomic analyses. They also showed that transcriptional responses to salinity (EC = 7 dS m⁻¹) and X. perforans infection were strongly time-dependent. Salt-treated plants exhibited fewer differentially expressed genes following inoculation, whereas comparisons between EC 7-treated and control plants revealed extensive salinity-induced reprogramming. KEGG analysis indicated enrichment of photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, and ribosome pathways, while defense-related pathways, including MAPK signaling and plant–pathogen interaction, were downregulated, suggesting that tomato prioritized adaptation to salinity over pathogen defense. Full article

Taste perception, taste preferences, and food preferences are three interrelated constructs underlying food-related behavior and contribute to individual dietary choices. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to shaping these traits. Taste perception refers to interindividual differences in biological sensitivity to basic taste modalities. Taste preferences represent the hedonic evaluation of taste modalities, including salty, sweet, bitter, sour, or umami, and fatty tastes, and are closely related to, but distinct from, taste perception. Recent evidence in sensory genetics has identified numerous single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) associated with interindividual differences in both taste perception and taste-modality-related responses. Essential genes include TAS1R2 and TAS1R3 for sweet taste, TAS1R1 and TAS1R3 for umami, TAS2R38 for bitter taste, CD36 for fat perception, and epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) subunits for salt sensitivity. Regarding broader food preferences, variants in genes involved in metabolic regulation and reward processing—such as FTO, MC4R, GHRL, DRD2, and OPRM1—also contribute to food-related behaviors and choice patterns. Health status and genetic variants may also influence taste perception and food preferences. This review summarizes current evidence on the genetic determinants of taste perception, taste modality preferences, and food liking, emphasizing the multifactorial nature of food-related behaviors and the role of genetic variability in shaping individual differences in dietary choices. Full article

The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is well known for its pronounced umami taste. Here the interaction between the T1R1/T1R3 taste receptor and three oyster-based peptides, namely, FLNQDEEAR (FR-9), EEFLK (EK-5), and FNKEE (FE-5), was investigated via molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, as well as molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area (MM–PBSA) and residue–residue contact score (RRCS) analyses. A full-length human T1R1/T1R3 heterodimer was constructed with AlphaFold3. MD simulations indicated that the binding of FR-9 led to a large structural fluctuation, a large radius of gyration, and a large solvent accessible surface; on the contrary, FE-5 yielded the most stable receptor–ligand complex. The MM-PBSA analysis showed that the binding free energies of the three peptides were in the order of FR-9 > EK-5 > FE-5. The RRCS analysis indicated that RRCS values per residue were in the order of FR-9 < EK-5 < FE-5, in line with the reported umami score, and that the highest taste score of FE-5 originated from the hydrophobic interactions between Glu301 (receptor) and Phe1 (ligand) as well as the salt bridges between arginine (Arg277 and Arg307, receptor) and glutamic acid (Glu4 and Glu5, ligand) residues. These findings show that structural stability and residue contact density were more informative than binding affinity for distinguishing the taste intensity of umami peptides. Full article

Hypophosphites (also known as phosphinates) are the salts of hypophosphorous acid (also known as phosphinic acid), H₃PO₂. Various hypophosphite salts are known such as calcium hypophosphite (Ca(H₂PO₂)₂) and sodium hypophosphite (Na(H₂PO₂)). Hypophosphites were proposed as a potential treatment for tuberculosis as early as the 1850s; however, they were found to be ineffective against this disease. Following this, there was a period of around 100 years during which no new studies on hypophosphites were published. Subsequent in vitro studies have shown that hypophosphites can be used as potential antibacterial food preservatives. Currently, calcium hypophosphite is used in commercial food supplements for children, as this compound is a suitable source of calcium ions. It also has other advantageous properties, including exceptionally high water solubility (154 g/L at 25 °C), a neutral taste, a high mass fraction of calcium per molecule (23.6%), and an excellent safety profile. Recent studies have shown its potential as an active ingredient in the field of oral care. Since biological mechanisms such as tooth and bone formation and natural remineralization due to saliva rely on calcium ions, calcium hypophosphite can be regarded as a biomimetic agent. Upon contact with phosphate from saliva, calcium hypophosphite forms hydroxyapatite; this imitation of physiological mineralization and crystallization processes in the human body further underlines its biomimetic character. This review summarizes and discusses the available literature on hypophosphites in human health and related fields. Full article

Traditional doubanjiang was investigated to identify endogenous peptides that may contribute to taste maintenance under salt-reduction conditions. Peptidomics identified 1230 peptides at −10logP ≥ 15. UMPred-FRL predicted 161 potential umami peptides, and molecular docking showed that 141 of these peptides could enter the binding site of the T1R1/T1R3 receptor. The successfully docked sequences were mainly short oligopeptides containing three to five amino acid residues. Based on docking scores, six representative candidate peptides were screened, namely EESP, SCPH, SSSGF, PDTE, SYH, and DYDS. Docking and MM-GBSA analyses suggested that these peptides mainly bound within the VFT cavity of T1R1/T1R3, and the interacting residues were dominated by polar residues such as Ser, Asn, Gln, and His and hydrophobic residues such as Tyr, Ile, Leu, and Val. MM-GBSA further suggested that vdW was the major favorable contributor, while Lipo supported complex stability. The umami thresholds of the six peptides ranged from 0.14 to 1.09 mmol/L. Experimental validation by threshold determination and sensory addition showed that all six peptides significantly increased saltiness, whereas their effects on umami differed. PDTE showed the strongest umami-enhancing effect, while SSSGF, SYH, and SCPH exhibited more pronounced saltiness synergy. These results suggest that the screened peptides do not necessarily amplify umami in complex food systems, but may contribute to taste maintenance under salt-reduction conditions through umami support, saltiness synergy, and taste-structure remodeling. Full article

Background: Hypertension is being increasingly observed among young adults in urban India, alongside rapid dietary transitions and rising consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). The current study aimed to assess the frequency and patterns of UPF consumption and examine their association with high blood pressure among urban college students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 311 undergraduate students aged 18–24 years from three colleges in Hyderabad, India. Our study used a validated automated device to measure blood pressure. Dietary intake over the previous month was assessed using a 24-item food frequency questionnaire capturing commonly consumed UPFs. After adjusting for age, sex, and socioeconomic variables, multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the relationships between UPF consumption categories and high blood pressure. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals (CIs) for adjusted odds ratios (AORs) were reported. Results: Overall, 12.5% of participants had high BP (≥140/90 mmHg). The prevalence was higher among males and those aged >20 years. In the adjusted analyses, males had significantly higher odds of having high BP (AOR: 4.96; 95% CI: 1.64–15.01), as did students from higher-income households (AOR: 3.22; 95% CI: 1.07–9.66). Consumption of high-fat and/or high-salt UPFs at or above the median was independently associated with high BP (AOR: 2.85; 95% CI: 1.16–6.99). Taste, availability, and low cost were common drivers of UPF intake. Conclusions: Higher consumption of high-fat and/or high-salt ultra-processed foods was associated with higher odds of elevated blood pressure among urban young adults. These findings warrant further longitudinal investigation and may help inform the development of targeted dietary awareness and food environment interventions in college settings. Full article

The olfactory and gustatory systems are essential for survival, enabling organisms to detect and respond to environmental chemical cues. Although canonical signaling pathways in smell and taste have been well defined, growing evidence highlights additional ion channel families as key modulators of sensory responses. Recent studies identify the anoctamin, transmembrane channel-like, and TMEM63 superfamily as a class of non-canonical sensory effectors that regulate signal amplification, excitability, and epithelial homeostasis across chemosensory systems. In the mammalian olfactory epithelium, specific anoctamin channels enhance odor-evoked responses and contribute to tissue homeostasis. In the gustatory system, salt detection is now understood to involve multiple parallel signaling pathways, with TMC4 emerging as a key contributor to high-salt and salt-associated taste sensing. These channel families are evolutionarily conserved across species, including C. elegans, Drosophila, and aquatic organisms, where they mediate chemosensation, mechanosensation, humidity detection, and osmoregulation. This functional versatility is supported by a shared structural architecture that enables selective ion conduction and, in some members, regulated phospholipid scrambling. This review proposes a unifying framework in which anoctamin and transmembrane channel-like proteins act as multimodal regulators of sensory signaling, linking environmental cues to cellular excitability and microenvironmental control and highlighting new principles of chemosensory organization and therapeutic potential. Full article

Excessive sodium intake is a major dietary concern, leading to recommended reductions in several food categories, including cheese. This study aimed to evaluate how cheese composition and texture influence sodium release and perceived saltiness during consumption. Semi-hard cheeses (SHCs) with varying compositions were analyzed for chemical composition, rheological properties, and sensory attributes using quantitative descriptive analysis, temporal sodium release and saltiness intensity. Most compositional factors affected the sensory characteristics of SHCs and the dynamic perception of saltiness. In particular, salt level influenced not only the perceived intensity of saltiness but also bitterness, acidity, overall aromatic intensity, and numerous textural characteristics. The fat content also influenced texture perception and masked taste attributes. Moreover, both sodium release and saltiness perception decreased with increasing fat content. These findings highlight the importance of compositional and textural factors in modulating salt perception and provide useful insights for developing reduced-salt cheeses with acceptable sensory qualities. Full article

Many approved oral paediatric medicines continue to have poor taste acceptance, suggesting that the ingredient blends employed in these medicines are not adequately effective in taste-masking drugs with strongly aversive tastes. To address this inadequacy, this narrative review provides a comparative evaluation of taste-masking ingredients used by the pharmaceutical industry with those employed in the food industry, as well as food items used by caregivers to mask the unpalatable taste of medicines for young children. Information was sourced from academic databases, industry publications, and caregiver forums on informal social platforms. Ingredients were classified into sweeteners, salts, acids, fats, peptides/amino acids, flavourants, cyclodextrins and polymers, with their taste-masking mechanisms delineated into receptor-level interactions and the creation of physical barriers and alternative dominant taste. Their applications are compared across the regulated medicinal and consumer food products, and in home remedies. Sweeteners show the highest cross-domain convergence as they are used in medicinal and food products and are recommended by caregivers. Peptides, amino acids, salt and texture modifiers applied in food and home remedies may have translational potential in medicines. Challenges, including drug–food interactions, regulatory constraints, and the need for combination approaches, are addressed. A decision framework is also designed to guide the development of simple, acceptable, and effective ingredient-based taste-masking systems for drugs with aversive tastes. Full article

Salt reduction is an important strategy for healthy diets. Our previous study developed low-sodium chickpea nang (LCHN) using potassium chloride, wheat gluten, inulin and L-lysine. However, consumers also value taste. The impact of this reformulation on oral processing characteristics remains unclear. This study collected chewing samples from 12 volunteers at five mastication stages (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) of regular chickpea nang (CHN) and LCHN, measuring chewing parameters, bolus moisture content, saliva addition amount, and flow rate. Results indicated that LCHN had a significantly shorter swallowing time (24.22 ± 3.63 s vs. 27.84 ± 6.01 s, p < 0.05, Cohen’s d = 0.73), while the number of chews (Nc), chewing frequency (Fc), bolus moisture content, and saliva flow rate showed no inter-group differences across all mastication stages (p > 0.05). Bolus moisture content increased significantly with mastication progression in both groups (p < 0.05), whereas saliva addition amount and flow rate decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Additionally, higher chewing frequency correlated with increased saliva addition amount and reduced flow rate (p < 0.05). In CHN, the Nc positively correlated with chewing time (r = 0.452, p < 0.01) and frequency (r = 0.458, p < 0.01), whereas in LCHN it negatively correlated with time (r = −0.329, p < 0.05) and positively with frequency (r = 0.884, p < 0.01). These findings provide theoretical basis for low-sodium baked product development. Full article

Excessive sodium consumption is a global public health problem that demands technological innovations in processed foods. This study aimed to reduce the sodium content in extruded corn snacks while maintaining perceived saltiness by substituting common salt with compound microparticles (70% NaCl, 30% starch). Two drying methods were evaluated: spray drying and conventional oven drying. The snacks were subjected to physicochemical, instrumental (texture and colour), density, porosity, microstructural, and sensory analyses (intensity scale, n = 104). The results demonstrated that the particles obtained by spray drying allowed a 28% reduction in the final sodium content without statistically differing in saltiness perception compared to the control. In contrast, the oven treatment reduced saltiness perception compared to the standard. Images obtained by scanning electron microscopy, along with porosity measurements, demonstrated a significant increase in porosity in the spray-dried sample. This allows rapid dissolution of the salt in the mouth, maintaining a salty taste even with reduced sodium content. It was concluded that the use of salt–starch microparticles via spray drying was a viable strategy for producing snacks with reduced sodium content without compromising sensory quality. Full article

Umami taste in lager beer not only determined body fullness and the backbone of aftertaste, but also affected the controllability and interpretability of flavor expression across the entire brewing process. Based on stage-wise sampling, peptidomic profiles were established on wort fermentation day 0, day 1, day 3, and day 9. A total of 25,592 peptides were identified by reversed-phase liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (RPLC-QTOF-MS). Molecular informatics screening was performed using UMPred-FRL (a feature representation learning-based meta-predictor for umami peptides) and TastePeptides-Meta (a one-stop platform for taste peptides and prediction models), yielding 7255 potential umami peptides. From these, 145 peptides were further selected for molecular docking. In addition, 6 representative umami peptides were selected for receptor-level validation and structural analysis. Mechanistically, the umami receptor taste receptor type 1 member 1/taste receptor type 1 member 3 (T1R1/T1R3) belonged to class C G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and relied on the extracellular Venus flytrap (VFT) domain for ligand capture. Ligand-induced VFT conformational convergence transmitted changes to the transmembrane region and triggered signal transduction. Docking and energy decomposition indicated that the ionic group primarily contributed to orientation and anchoring. Salt-bridge or hydrogen-bond networks were formed around Lys228, Arg240, Glu206, Asp210, Asn141, and Gln138, thereby reducing conformational freedom. Meanwhile, hydrophobic side chains obtained major binding gains within a hydrophobic microenvironment formed by Val135, Ile137, Leu165, Tyr166, Trp78, and His79. These results reflected a synergistic mode in which charge pairing enabled positioning and hydro-phobic complementarity promoted VFT closure. To experimentally confirm sensory relevance, 6 representative peptides were individually spiked into 4 brewing-stage beer samples, which produced a clear stratification pattern across stages. Notably, peptides with favorable docking-derived binding propensity did not necessarily enhance umami perception, and several longer peptides showed persistent negative sensory shifts, supporting that binding affinity alone could not be treated as a proxy for perceived umami in the beer matrix. At the node level, the cumulative abundance of umami peptides showed a significant positive correlation with umami scores, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of r = 0.963 and p = 0.037. This result indicated good linear consistency between umami peptide content and the upward shift in umami taste in lager beer. Umami peptide clusters were further proposed as a more appropriate functional unit, and an umami peptide cluster database spanning the full process was constructed. This database provided a reusable resource for process control and flavor prediction. Full article

Background: Approximately two-thirds of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) become overweight or obese. Weight loss surgery, including vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), is one of the most effective long-term treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Introduction: The main objective of this study was to test in our diet induced obesity rat model whether subjects respond to VSG in the same way as subjects with or without SCI. Methods: To address this question, male Wistar rats underwent either T3 contusion injuries or sham spinal surgeries (Sham). Following recovery, all rats were fed a high-energy, high-fat diet (HFD) for six weeks before undergoing VSG. Taste responsivity and preferences were assessed at multiple time points. Results: Prior to HFD exposure, SCI rats exhibited significantly reduced lick responses for sucrose at higher concentrations and increased licking for low concentrations of sodium, although 2BC sucrose preference was unchanged. HFD feeding in SCI rats enhanced salt and sucrose licking overall. Importantly, VSG reduced sucrose licking, with SCI rats showing greater sensitivity to this effect. cFos immunohistochemistry further revealed enhanced neuronal activation to sucrose ingestion in the dorsal vagal complex, including the rostral subnucleus of the nucleus of the solitary tract. Discussion and Conclusions: Together, these findings support the hypothesis that SCI alters taste functions, thereby increasing vulnerability to diet-induced obesity and that VSG may restore sweet taste responsivity even more effectively in SCI-associated obesity than in non-SCI obesity. Future studies are needed to clarify the neural and hormonal mechanisms mediating these effects and to determine their translational relevance to human SCI populations. Full article

Food color can greatly impact consumer perception. It can shape flavor expectations and influence emotions. This research evaluated how visual color cues affect perceived saltiness, sensory liking, and emotional responses to soy sauce. The study used four samples with the same salt concentrations (12% NaCl w/v). The color was varied in intensities, including light (LS), control (CS), moderate (MS), and high (HS). There was a total of 100 consumers to evaluate the samples. The results showed that MS received the highest liking scores for color (6.17) and saltiness (6.30). LS achieved the lowest scores at 3.98 for color and 5.78 for saltiness. Color intensity had a significant correlation with the expectation of saltiness. Correspondence analysis revealed that MS was most frequently associated with positive emotions such as “interested” (36%), whereas LS evoked negative emotions, including “disgusted,” “bored,” and “worried.” These findings confirm that darker colors enhance perceived taste intensity and positive affect. The use of color cues may therefore be a simple strategy to design low-sodium soy sauce formulations without reducing consumer acceptance while potentially supporting sodium reduction initiatives aimed at improving public health outcomes. Full article

This study evaluates the impact of fortifying pimento-paste stuffed olives with nutritional chloride salts (KCl, CaCl₂, and MgCl₂) on the quality characteristics of the products, using a D-optimal mixture design and Response Surface Methodology. To this aim, the effects of varying salt concentrations on physicochemical characteristics and sensory descriptors were analysed. Results showed that KCl was predominantly favourable, improving sensory attributes and contributing positively to overall product quality. MgCl₂ exhibited a neutral influence on most characteristics. However, CaCl₂, while enhancing kinaesthetic properties such as hardness, crunchiness, and fibrousness, also increased bitterness, which may detract from consumer preference. The optimal formulation was identified, highlighting the beneficial effects of KCl and a balanced mixture of CaCl₂ and MgCl₂. KCl and MgCl₂ are key components for fortification. The use of CaCl₂ improves the kinaesthetic properties but requires caution due to its potential to impart a bitter taste, which may not be favourable for specific consumers. These findings provide a basis for developing fortified pimento-paste stuffed olives or similar products tailored to consumer preferences. Full article