FLAVOR AND TASTE

TASTES

…are the “sensations we

detect when a substance

comes in contact with the

taste buds on the tongue”

TASTE BUDS

“The smallest functional unit of taste”

Found in the papillae

Taste receptor cells: several in each taste

bud

SOUR SALTY BITTER SWEET

Sweet: comes from naturally occurring sugars

(fructose and sucrose) or added sugars

Sour: opposite of sweet and found in acidic foods

Salty: comes from adding sodium chloride (with

the exception of oysters and seaweed)

Bitter: caused by alkaloids and used as a survival

mechanism for inedible or toxic foods

UMAMI

Close to what we understand as

savory

Naturally occurring in foods with the amino acid

glutamate• Cheese, meat, soy sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes, wine

FACTORS THAT AFFECT TASTE

Temperature: warm foods have stronger

tastes (except salty)

Consistency: dense foods take longer to

perceive

Fats: some compounds that offer “taste”

are dissolved in fat

FLAVOR

“Combination of the tastes,

aromas, and other sensations

caused by the presence of a

foreign substance in the mouth”

OLFACTORY SENSE

FLAVOR PROFILES

Top notes: first sharp flavors

Middle notes: more subtle (dairy, poultry,

vegetables, fish, meats)

Low notes: dominant and lingering (beans,

chocolate, mushrooms, tomatoes, meats)

Aftertaste: final lingering flavor (bitterness of

chocolate)

Roundness: unity through butter, cream, salt,

sugar

Depth: broad range

BALANCE

Introducing various taste

components to balance the

flavor of food