Comparison of differences in sensory, volatile odour-activity and volatile profile of commercial plant-based meats.

Descriptive sensory analysis was paired with temporal check-all-that-apply gas-chromatography olfactometry (TCATA GC-O) to compare differences in perceived flavour and volatile odour activity across a series of commercial plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) versus conventional beef products. Multiple factor analysis separated PBMAs in two clusters along the first principal axis. The first cluster, rated higher in meaty flavour and odour, also showed higher citation proportions of sulfurous odourants. In contrast, the second cluster, higher in off odour and flavour, had higher citation proportions for fatty / legume odourants. Key odourants correlated with meaty flavour and odour were putatively identified as 2-methyl-3-furanthiol, dimethyl trisulfide, and furfuryl mercaptan while compounds correlated to off flavour and odour were putatively identified as (E,E)-3,5-octadien-2-one, 2-undecanol, and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal. No correspondence was found between PBMA odour-activity and source protein, suggesting that volatile flavour production in PBMAs is derived primarily from exogeneous flavouring materials or precursors rather than the base protein material. Contributions of lipid-protein interactions to overall flavour differences is further suggested by the putative discovery of 5,6-dihydro-2,4,6-trimethyl-4H-1,3,5-dithiazine odour activity in several meat samples profiled.

Independent and combined impact of texture manipulation on oral processing behaviours among faster and slower eaters.

Background: Food texture can moderate eating rate and ad libitum energy intake. Many foods are combined with condiments when consumed and the texture and eating properties differ considerably between condiments and carrier foods. Little is known about how combinations of textures impact oral processing or whether these differences are affected by individual eating-styles. Objective: We investigated the impact of texture parameters (unit size, thickness, hardness and lubrication) on oral processing behaviours for carrots and rice-crackers, and tested whether these behaviours differ between 'faster' and 'slower' eaters. Method: Seventy participants (34 males, 26.0 ± 5.4 years, BMI = 21.5 ± 1.7 kg m-2) consumed 24 weight-matched carrot samples varying in unit size (large/medium/small), thickness (thick/thin), hardness (hard/soft) and lubrication (with/without mayonnaise). In a second step, participants consumed 8 weight-matched cracker samples varying in unit size (large/small), hardness (hard/soft) and lubrication (with/without mayonnaise). Sample consumption was video-recorded for post hoc behavioural annotation to derive specific oral processing behaviours. Participants were divided into 'faster' or 'slower' eater groups using a post hoc median split based on eating rate of raw carrot. Results: Across texture parameters, hardness had the largest influence (p < 0.001) on eating rate for both carrots and crackers. The independent texture differences for carrot ranked from most to least impact on eating rate was hardness > thickness > lubrication > unit size. For crackers, the rank order of eating rate was hardness > lubrication > unit size. Harder carrot samples with decreased unit size and reduced thickness combined had a larger synergistic effect in reducing eating rate (p < 0.001) than manipulation of any single texture parameter alone. Reducing the unit size of crackers while increasing hardness without lubrication combined (p = 0.015) to produce the largest reduction in eating rate. There were no significant differences between fast and slow eaters on their oral processing behaviours across texture manipulations. Conclusions: Combinations of texture manipulations have the largest impact in moderating oral processing behaviours, and this is consistent across 'faster' and 'slower' eaters. Changing food-texture presents an effective strategy to guide reformulation of product sensory properties to better regulate eating rate and energy intake, regardless of an individual's natural eating-style.

The COVOSMIA-19 trial: Preliminary application of the Singapore smell and taste test to objectively measure smell and taste function with COVID-19.

Sudden loss of smell and/or taste has been identified as an early symptom of SARS-CoV-2 2019 (COVID-19) infection, and presents an effective target for prompt self-isolation and reducing community spread. The current study sought to develop and test a novel, rapid, self-administered test to objectively measure smell and taste losses associated with COVID-19, and administered self-report questionnaires to characterise symptoms associated with COVID-19 in Singapore. Participants (N = 99) completed questionnaires to record recent changes in smell and taste ability. This was followed by the 'Singapore Smell and Taste Test' (SSTT), a personal, objective testing kit for daily self-assessment of smell and taste function at their place of residence. Seventy-two recruited participants were confirmed as COVID-19 positive at baseline, of which 58 completed the SSTT at home. Of these, 36.2% had objectively measured smell and/or taste loss. The SSTT measures of smell and taste function were positively associated with participants' self-reported smell and taste acuity, and rated smell intensity of 6 common household items. This study presents the first application of the SSTT as a rapid, cost-effective, objective tool to self-monitor smell and taste function in a residential setting, and ensures comparability across individuals through the use of standardised stimuli. The SSTT has potential for future application in populations with limited access to formal COVID-19 testing as a self-administered objective method to monitor sudden changes in smell and taste, and to prompt early self-isolation, in order to reduce community transmission of COVID-19.

Evaluating the Onset, Severity, and Recovery of Changes to Smell and Taste Associated With COVID-19 Infection in a Singaporean Population (the COVOSMIA-19 Trial): Protocol for a Prospective Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Sudden loss of smell and/or taste has been suggested to be an early marker of COVID-19 infection, with most findings based on self-reporting of sensory changes at a single time point. OBJECTIVE: To understand the onset, severity, and recovery of sensory changes associated with COVID-19 infection, this study will longitudinally track changes in chemosensory acuity among people with suspected COVID-19 infection using standardized test stimuli that are self-administered over 28 days. METHODS: In a prospective, case-controlled observational study, volunteers will be recruited when they present for COVID-19 screening by respiratory tract polymerase chain reaction test ("swab test"). The volunteers will initially complete a series of questionnaires to record their recent changes in smell and taste ability, followed by a brief standardized smell and taste test. Participants will receive a home-use smell and taste test kit to prospectively complete daily self-assessments of their smell and taste acuity at their place of residence for up to 4 weeks, with all data submitted for collection through web-based software. RESULTS: This study has been approved by the Domain Specific Review Board of the National Healthcare Group, Singapore, and is funded by the Biomedical Research Council Singapore COVID-19 Research Fund. Recruitment began on July 23, 2020, and will continue through to March 31, 2021. As of October 2, 2020, 69 participants had been recruited. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this study will be the first to collect longitudinal data on changes to smell and taste sensitivity related to clinically diagnosed COVID-19 infection, confirmed by PCR swab test, in a population-based cohort. The findings will provide temporal insights on the onset, severity, and recovery of sensory changes with COVID-19 infection, the consistency of symptoms, and the frequency of full smell recovery among patients with COVID-19. This self-administered and cost-effective approach has many advantages over self-report questionnaire-based methods and provides a more objective measure of smell and taste changes associated with COVID-19 infection; this will encourage otherwise asymptomatic individuals who are potential spreaders of the virus to self-isolate and seek formal medical diagnosis if they experience a sudden change in sensory acuity. This broadened case finding can potentially help control the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce the emergence of clusters of infections. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04492904; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04492904. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/24797.

Associations between Psycho-Hedonic Responses to Sweet and Savoury Tastes with Diet and Body Composition in a Sample of Asian Females.

Taste preferences guide food choices and dietary behaviours, yet few studies have shown a relationship between sweet and savoury taste preference and differences in dietary intakes or energy consumed from different "taste clusters". We investigated differences in psycho-hedonic responses to sweet and savoury tastes and their association with energy intake, proportion of energy from macronutrients and energy intake from different "taste clusters". In addition, we evaluated correspondence between two methods to classify "sweet-liker" status and the overlap between sweet and savoury taste preferences. Psycho-hedonic responses to sweet and savoury tastes of female participants (n = 66) were captured via staircase paired preference and the "sweet-liker phenotype" classification method. Quantitative dietary energy and macronutrient intakes were measured using three-day food diary, and the relative contributions of specific taste clusters to energy intake were derived for each participant. All participants completed anthropometric assessments measuring body mass index (BMI) and adiposity. Results showed no association between sweet and savoury preferences with dietary energy or macronutrient intakes, though there was a trend towards higher sweet food consumption among "sweet-likers". A higher preference for savouriness was not associated with differences in daily energy intake, energy intake from protein, BMI or adiposity levels. There was little overlap in sweet and savoury preferences, suggesting a bi-modal split in taste preferences. "Sweet-likers" preferred a higher mean sucrose concentration than sweet "dislikers" (p < 0.001) indicating agreement between the two approaches. Future studies should consider comparing taste-liker differences using food choice tasks to address the current gap between taste preference measures and actual dietary behaviours.

Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) comparison of taste profiles for different sweeteners in black tea, chocolate milk, and natural yogurt.

Growing health concerns have increased interest in reducing the consumption of added sugars, which can be achieved by substituting or replacing sugar with sweeteners to maintain sensory intensity and quality. The growing availability of sweeteners has increased the complexity of the perceptual landscape as sweeteners differ in the qualitative, intensity, and temporal properties. A sweetener that can match the perceptual properties of sucrose in different food matrices is likely to have broad applications. In complex foods, sweetness is influenced by the taste interactions with the existing tastants and possible matrix effects that influence release and perception of sweetness. The current study compared the taste properties of three food matrices (black tea, chocolate milk, and natural yogurt) sweetened by sucrose to those sweetened using eight different sweeteners (acesulfame-K, aspartame, erythritol, luo han guo (Mogroside), palatinose (iso-maltulose), stevia (Reb-A), sucralose, and sucrose-allulose mixture) using Rate-All-That-Apply. The sensory properties of each sweetener differed across matrices, with sucrose-allulose mixture, aspartame, erythritol, palatinose, and sucralose having the most similar taste to sucrose across all foods. By contrast, acesulfame-K, stevia, and luo han guo had taste profiles that most varied from sucrose, characterized by side tastes such as bitterness, chemical taste, and a low sweetness. Sweeteners differed most from sucrose when presented in natural yogurt compared to tea and chocolate milk. A food's taste properties can suppress sweetness intensity and promote undesirable side tastes. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of testing sweeteners in complex foods and help identify sweeteners and sweetener combinations that can replicate the sweetness of sucrose and support sugar reduction. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Food manufacturers and researchers can refer to the results of the sensory profiles to identify suitable sweeteners substitutes for sucrose in foods with similar taste profiles to those tested. The current article highlights important changes to sweetener sensory properties when presented in different complex foods, and provides an indication of the potential for calorie reduction by substituting sucrose with a range of low or no calorie sweeteners.

Temporal sweetness and side tastes profiles of 16 sweeteners using temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA).

An increase in consumer awareness around the negative health impacts of consuming excess added sugars has led to a rise in the replacement of sucrose in foods and beverages. This replacement is often through the use of low or no calorie sweeteners to reduce total calories while maintaining sweetness and palatability. There are a wide variety of sweeteners with diverse physical and caloric compositions which can be used at concentrations estimated to be equi-sweet to sucrose in food products. However, many of the available sweeteners are known to differ in their temporal profiles and may have other side and aftertastes alongside sweetness that need to be considered when comparing their suitability as potential sucrose substitutes. The objective of the current study was to profile and compare the temporal sweetness and qualitative differences of 15 sweeteners to sucrose across nutritive saccharide (sucrose, dextrose, fructose, allulose (D-psicose), palatinose (isomaltulose), sucrose-allulose mixture), nutritive polyol (maltitol, erythritol, mannitol, xylitol, sorbitol) and non-nutritive (acesulfame-k, aspartame, sucralose, stevia (rebaudioside-A or rebA), luo han guo (monk fruit extract or mogroside)) groups, at equi-sweet intensity to 10% w/v sucrose based on a previous psychophysical dose-response study. Using the Temporal Check-all-that-Apply (TCATA) method, 20 participants evaluated a set of 17 sweetener samples (including a sucrose duplicate) in triplicates across three 1-h sessions for the occurrence of six attributes (sweetness, bitterness, metallic taste, chemical taste, honey taste and mouth-drying) over a 60 s period. Sucrose was characterised by a rapid sweetness onset (within first 10 s) to peak citation, and subsequent decay of sweetness with minimal side tastes noted. Acesulfame-K, stevia (rebA) and luo han guo had prominent and long-lasting citations of the undesirable bitter, metallic and chemical side tastes and significantly lower sweetness citations. Allulose, erythritol, sorbitol, aspartame and sucralose were perceived to have bitter, metallic and chemical side tastes, but retained a largely sweet taste profile, with longer residual sweetness for aspartame and sucralose. Nutritive sweeteners dextrose, fructose, maltitol, mannitol, sucrose-allulose mixture, palatinose and xylitol had the most similar temporal and qualitative taste profiles when compared to sucrose, in terms of their sweetness onset, peak sweetness citations, sweetness decay, and side taste profiles.

A Comparison of Psychophysical Dose-Response Behaviour across 16 Sweeteners.

Reduction or replacement of sucrose while maintaining sweetness in foods is challenging, but today there are many sweeteners with diverse physical and caloric compositions to choose from. The choice of sweetener can be adapted to match reformulation goals whether these are to reduce calories, lower the glycaemic response, provide bulk or meet criteria as a natural ingredient. The current study sought to describe and compare the sweetness intensity dose-response, sweetness growth rate, sweetness potency, and potential for calorie reduction across 16 different sweeteners including sucrose. Sweetness growth rate was defined as the rate of change in sweetness intensity per unit of sweetener concentration. Sweetness potency was defined as the ratio of the concentration of a sweetener to that of sucrose at equivalent sweetness intensity, whereas the potential for calorie reduction is the caloric value of a sweetener compared to sucrose at matched sweetness intensities. Sweeteners were drawn from a range of nutritive saccharide (sucrose, dextrose, fructose, allulose (d-psicose), palatinose (isomaltulose), and a sucrose⁻allulose mixture), nutritive polyol (maltitol, erythritol, mannitol, xylitol, sorbitol), non-nutritive synthetic (aspartame, acesulfame-K, sucralose) and non-nutritive natural sweeteners stevia (rebaudioside A), luo han guo (mogroside V). Sweetness intensities of the 16 sweeteners were compared with a sensory panel of 40 participants (n = 40; 28 females). Participants were asked to rate perceived sweetness intensity for each sweetener series across a range of concentrations using psychophysical ratings taken on a general labelled magnitude scale (gLMS). All sweeteners exhibited sigmoidal dose-response behaviours and matched the 'moderate' sweetness intensity of sucrose (10% w/v). Fructose, xylitol and sucralose had peak sweetness intensities greater than sucrose at the upper concentrations tested, while acesulfame-K and stevia (rebA) were markedly lower. Independent of sweetener concentration, the nutritive sweeteners had similar sweetness growth rates to sucrose and were greater than the non-nutritive sweeteners. Non-nutritive sweeteners on the other hand had higher potencies relative to sucrose, which decreases when matching at higher sweetness intensities. With the exception of dextrose and palatinose, all sweeteners matched the sweetness intensity of sucrose across the measured range (3.8⁻25% w/v sucrose) with fewer calories. Overall, the sucrose⁻allulose mixture, maltitol and xylitol sweeteners were most similar to sucrose in terms of dose-response behaviour, growth rate and potency, and showed the most potential for sugar replacement within the range of sweetness intensities tested.

Associated vascular injury in patients with bile duct injury during cholecystectomy.

Cholecystectomy remains one of the most commonly performed procedures in general surgery. Although the incidence, diagnosis, and treatment of bile duct (BD) injuries have been well described, studies characterizing associated vascular injuries are limited. The objective of this study was to analyze the frequency and management of associated vascular and BD injury after cholecystectomy. A total of 50 patients were referred to a tertiary institution for BD injuries from 1996 to 2010. Thirty-nine (78%) of the patients were female with the mean age of 49 years (range, 14 to 86 years). Seventy-five per cent of the injuries were Strasberg Type E. Nine patients (18%) had associated vascular injuries. Six patients had injuries to the right hepatic artery; in one patient, both the right and left hepatic arteries were damaged. Five patients had right portal vein injuries; three of these subsequently died. In conclusion, as a result of the high incidence of associated vascular injury, a thin-collimation CT angiogram and/or mesenteric angiogram with portal venous imaging should be considered as part of the preoperative evaluation in patients with BD injury.