Oleogustus

Oleogustus is a sixth taste proposed by researchers at Purdue University to be added to the list of basic tastes composed of sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. It is described as the taste of fat and can be most easily detected in spoiled fatty foods, such as rancid oil, and is distinct from the mouth feel of oil. It is believed to be chemically unique and distinguishable from other flavors, being sensed through specific receptor sites qualifying it as a basic taste.

The suggested name comes from the Latin root "oleo" for 'oil' and "gustus" for 'taste'.

History

Oleogustus was first proposed as a new taste in a study by Cordelia A. Running, Bruce A. Craig, and Richard D. Mattes on July 3, 2015 in the journal Chemical Senses. One of the main requirements for being classified as a new taste is for people to be able to distinguish the taste from other flavors. The scientists accomplished this by separating volunteers into groups and having them try samples that also contained the other basic tastes. The volunteers were able to separate the taste of fatty acids into their own category, but the researchers remained concerned on whether the taste is distinct enough. This is because the usual "creaminess and viscosity we associate with fatty foods is largely due to triglycerides", while the actual taste of fatty acids is closer to the idea of rancid foods. Richard Mattes described the taste as "more of a warning system" that a certain food shouldn't be eaten.

Further research is being conducted by the researchers that utilizes the data from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science involving "a thousand participants in a study related to the genetics of fat taste".

Properties

The main form of fat that is commonly ingested is triglycerides, which are composed of three fatty acids bound together. In this state, triglycerides are able to give fatty foods unique textures that are often described as creaminess. But this texture is not an actual taste and has no connection to taste receptors on the tongue. It is only during ingestion that the fatty acids that make up triglycerides are broken apart and the taste of fat is revealed. The taste is commonly related to other, more negative, tastes such as bitter and sour due to how unpleasant the taste is for humans. Richard Mattes explained that low concentrations of these fatty acids can create an overall better flavor in a food, much like how small uses of bitterness can make certain foods like chocolate and coffee more rounded. However, a high concentration of fatty acids in certain foods is generally considered inedible.

Examples in food

There are few regularly consumed foods rich in oleogustus, due to the negative flavor that is evoked in large quantities. Foods whose flavor to which oleogustus makes a small contribution include olive oil and fresh butter, along with various kinds of vegetable and nut oils.

Further reading

• "Oleogustus, il gusto che identifica gli acidi grassi". Wired (in italiano). July 31, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
• Cisternino, Alessia (August 8, 2015). "¡Bienvenido 'oleogustus'!". Republica (in español). Retrieved August 28, 2015.
• AFP (July 30, 2015). "Le goût du gras existe, il s'appelle "oleogustus"". Huffington Post (in français). Retrieved August 28, 2015.

This article "Oleogustus" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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