A colorimetric sensor array was developed to characterize and quantify the taste of white wines. A charge-coupled device (CCD) camera captured images of the sensor array from 23 different white wine samples, and the change in the R, G, B color components from the control were analyzed by principal component analysis. Additionally, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyz...

Thaumatin, an intensely sweet-tasting protein, elicits a sweet taste sensation at 50 nM. Here the X-ray crystallographic structure of one of its variants, thaumatin II, was determined at a resolution of 1.27 Å. Overall structure of thaumatin II is similar to thaumatin I, but a slight shift of the Cα atom of G96 in thaumatin II was observed. Furthermore, the side chain of residue 67 in thaumatin...

Thaumatin, an intensely sweet-tasting plant protein, elicits a sweet taste at a concentration of 50 nM. The crystal structure of a recombinant form of thaumatin I produced in the yeast Pichia pastoris has been determined to a resolution of 1.1 Å. The model was refined with anisotropic B parameters and riding H atoms. A comparison of the diffraction data and refinement statistics for recombinant...

In recent years, moral psychology has undergone a renaissance characterized by two dramatic changes (Haidt, 2007). First, the scientific study of morality has become a broad, interdisciplinary enterprise, drawing on insights and methods from philosophy, neuroscience, economics, anthropology, biology, and all quarters of psychology. Second, emotion now plays a central role in moral psychology re...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW In nature, carbohydrates are a source of energy often equated with sweetness, the detection of which is associated with powerful hedonic appeal. Intakes of processed carbohydrates in the form of added sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages have risen consistently among all age groups over the last two decades. In this review, we describe the biological underpinnings that drive t...

Behavioral, ethological, and electrophysiological evidence suggests that the highly unpleasant, bitter taste of a concentrated quinine hydrochloride (QHCL) should activate the human amygdala. In the present study, healthy subjects tasted 0.02 M QHCL or water while regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was assayed with H(2)(15)O PET. Subjects were also studied while tasting a pleasant sucrose solu...

Several recent studies have demonstrated that music can significantly influence the eating/drinking experience. It is not clear, however, whether this influence would be moderated by the expertise of the taster. In the experiments reported here, we tested a large group (N = 154) of very experienced wine tasters-the majority of whom were professionals working in the wine business-at a winemaking...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This study aims to synthesise the body of research investigating methods for increasing vegetable consumption in 2- to 5-year-old children, while offering advice for practitioners. RECENT FINDINGS Repeated exposure is a well-supported method for increasing vegetable consumption in early childhood and may be enhanced with the inclusion of non-food rewards to incentivise tasti...

An appreciation of experimental design is an important aspect introductory statistics teaching in a wide range applied disciplines, including medical statistics. Understanding the impact decisions on choice analysis method and subsequent interpretation results can help to embed importance statistical thinking process. I discuss interactive exercise, based R.A. Fisher's celebrated “Lady Tasting ...