Chapter 7: Flavours Check Access

This chapter deals with the nutritional and safety importance of flavour perception by taste (in the mouth) and odour (in the nose). Sweetness is correlated with the chemical structure of sugars, sugar derivatives, non-sugar sweeteners, synthetic (e.g. saccharin, aspartame, sucralose) and naturally occurring (e.g. thaumatin, glycyrrhizin) sugars. Bitterness is considered and its role as an indicator of potential toxicity and also desirability, e.g. beer. Salt (i.e. sodium chloride) as a flavouring is covered, as is sourness in relation to acidity, (e.g. organic acids in fruit and vinegar). Other topics include astringency (e.g. polyphenolics in tea and wine), pungency (e.g. hotness and Scoville units of chillies, black and white peppers, ginger, glucosinolates in brassicas) and cooling (e.g. menthol), meatiness and umami. The chapter then discusses odour, e.g. the Maillard reaction and fatty acid breakdown in meat, fruit, organic acids, flavour impact substances, wine, terpenoids, citrus fruit, vegetables (including brassicas, onions etc. and their sulfur compounds), off-flavours, and herbs and spices. The chapter also looks at synthetic flavourings, off-flavours and taints, and legislation.