Do you know anyone who hates bread or pasta? I sure don’t. There may be a scientific reason for why you can’t stop eating these delicious fare. A study from Oregon State University suggests that starchy might be the sixth flavor. It would join primary tastes salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami (savory) in the building blocks of flavor.
Until recently, scientists assumed we could only taste the sugar in carbohydrates. Researcher Juyun Lim says every culture has a major source of complex carbs. However, the idea that we can’t taste what we’re eating doesn’t make much sense.
“Complex carbohydrates such as starch are made of chains of sugar molecules and are an important source of energy in our diets. However, food scientists have tended to ignore the idea that we might be able to specifically taste them,” says Lim. “Because enzymes in our saliva break starch down into shorter chains and simple sugars, many assumed we detect starch by tasting these sweet molecules.”
For the study, researchers gave participants a range of different carbohydrate solutions containing long and short carbohydrate chains. As it turns out, the subjects were able to detect starchy flavors. Even when they were given compounds that block the receptors on the tongue for making out sweet tastes.
As of now, starch does not meet all the requirements to be classified as a primary taste, because researchers have yet to identify specific starch receptors on the tongue.
Photo via Modern Hepburn
Leave a Reply