Elizabeth A. Sattely-Miller

Investigation of synergism in binary mixtures of sweeteners

The purpose of the present study was to determine the presence and degree of synergism among all binary mixtures of 14 sweeteners varying in chemical structure. A trained panel evaluated binary combinations of the following sweeteners: three sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), two polyhydric alcohols (mannitol, sorbitol), two diterpenoid glycosides (rebaudioside-A, stevioside), two dipeptide derivatives (alitame, aspartame), one sulfamate (sodium cyclamate), one protein (thaumatin), two N-sulfonyl amides (acesulfame-K, sodium saccharin), and one dihydrochalcone (neohesperidin dihydrochalcone). Each sweetener was tested at three concentrations that were isosweet with 3%, 5%, and 7% sucrose. Two methods of analysis were performed to determine synergistic effects. In Method I, an ANOVA was performed for each intensity level to determine if the mean sweetness intensity ratings of each binary mixture were equal to nominal sweetness (i.e., additivity) or not equal to nominal sweetness (i.e., synergism or suppression). In Method II, an additional ANOVA was performed to determine if the sweetness intensity ratings of any given mixture were equal to or greater than the average of the sweetness ratings of the two pure components in that blend.

Elevated and sustained desire for sweet taste in African-Americans: a potential factor in the development of obesity

Oral habituation is a relatively long-lasting decrease in oral responsiveness that results from the repeated presentation of a single stimulus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree of habituation to sweet-tasting foods and to determine whether there are differences in the rate of habituation between African Americans and European Americans. These two groups were compared because the prevalence of obesity and obesity-related disorders such as diabetes and hypertension is significantly higher among African Americans than among European Americans. Nine different commercial foods and beverages that differed in sweetness intensity and caloric density served as stimuli. Subjects tasted and rated each food once per minute for a 30-min period on scales related to desire for another taste of the same sample and desire for a different taste. The stimuli and portion size for each of the 30 samples were two candy bars (Ultra Slim-Fast Cocoa Almond Crunch Bar, 1/16 of a bar; Natural Nectar Peanut Butter Granola Bar, 1/16 of a bar), three beverages (Nestea Lemon Flavored Instant Tea with NutraSweet, 5 mL; Welchs Grape Juice, 5 mL; Pink Swimmingo Kool-Aid, 5 mL), two gelatin desserts (Cherry Flavored Jell-O Gelatin, 5 g; Cherry Flavored Jell-O Gelatin with NutraSweet, 5 g), one enteral nutrition drink (Vanilla Ensure Plus, 5 mL), and one pudding (Ultra Slim-Fast Chocolate Pudding, 5 g). Subjects consumed the entire portion of each sample. Habituation occurred for seven of the nine foods as judged by a decrease in the desire for another taste of the same food. The degree of habituation for European Americans and African Americans was similar except for the sweetest food (Cherry Flavored Jell-O Gelatin with NutraSweet), for which African Americans showed no habituation. The degree of habituation in both groups was unrelated to caloric density. Overall, young African Americans had a significantly greater desire for another taste of the same food than did young European Americans for seven of the nine foods, and this desire was strongly correlated with the sweetness intensity for young African Americans but not for young European Americans. Furthermore, young African Americans had a greater desire than young European Americans for a different taste for seven of nine foods. The greater desire for intense sweet tastes may be a factor in the elevated incidence of obesity and diabetes in African Americans. In addition, young African Americans had greater perceived stress in this study than did young European Americans. If African Americans use sweet taste to compensate for feelings of stress, this compensation may also contribute to weight gain.

Taste, smell and neuropsychological performance of individuals at familial risk for Alzheimer's disease.

The purpose of the study was to determine whether there are chemosensory and neuropsychological changes that predate the onset of Alzheimers disease in individuals at enhanced risk of developing the condition. To study this question, a unique sample of individuals (n = 33) was studied who were genetically at-risk for AD by virtue of documented multigenerational evidence of the disease (so-called multiplex families). The performance of at-risk individuals was evaluated on various smell, taste, and neuropsychological measures at baseline and 18 months later. Their performance was compared to a control group (n = 32) that was matched in age, gender, education, and race. At baseline the at-risk group performed worse than the control group on the chemosensory measures of phenethyl alcohol smell detection, smell memory, and taste memory, and on a memory measure involving recall of narrative information (Logical Memory I from the Wechsler Memory Scale- Revised). Across both sessions, the at-risk group had lower smell memory scores than the control group. At-risk status was not significantly associated with APOE status. The results of this and other studies suggest that individuals who are genetically at risk for developing AD may perform more poorly on memory and smell measures compared to those not at risk. This effect may be separate from one known genetic risk factor of AD, APOE, and supports that multiple genes are likely responsible for the disease and its associated memory and other neurocognitive symptoms.

The effect of pleasant odors and hormone status on mood of women at midlife

The effect of odors on the mood of 56 women ranging in age from 45 to 60 years was determined using the POMS (Profile of Mood States). The 56 subjects were divided into four groups of 14 subjects each on the basis of hormonal status. Group 1 consisted of 14 women who were still menstruating; group 2 consisted of 14 women who were no longer menstruating and taking estrogen; group 3 consisted of 14 women who were no longer menstruating and taking estrogen and progesterone; and, group 4 consisted of 14 women who were no longer menstruating and taking no hormone replacement. Use of pleasant odors significantly improved scores on tension, depression, and confusion factors. In addition, women using estrogen replacement with or without progesterone had better mood scores than those who did not, which is consistent with previous studies.

Effect of temperature, pH, and ions on sweet taste.

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of temperature (50 degrees C and 6 degrees C), pH (pH 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6. 0, and 7.0) and the addition of monovalent and divalent cations (5 mM Na(+), 5 mM K(+), and 5 mM Ca(2)+ ) on the sweetness intensity ratings of sweeteners ranging widely in chemical structure. A trained panel provided intensity evaluations for prototypical tastes (sweet, bitter, sour, and salty) as well as aromatic and mouth-feel attributes. The following sweeteners were included in this experiment: three sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), three terpenoid glycosides (monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, rebaudioside-A, stevioside), two polyhydric alcohols (mannitol, sorbitol), two dipeptide derivatives (alitame, aspartame), two N-sulfonylamides (acesulfame-K, sodium saccharin), one sulfamate (sodium cyclamate), one protein (thaumatin), one dihydrochalcone (neohesperidin dihydrochalcone), and one chlorodeoxysugar (sucralose). Two to five levels of each sweetener reflecting a range of sweetness intensities were tested, using formulae developed by DuBois et al. The main finding from this three-part study was that temperature, pH, and ions had little effect on perceived sweetness intensity. Even when significant differences were found in the temperature study, the effects were very small.

The effect of sweeteners on bitter taste in young and elderly subjects

The purpose of this study was to quantify the degree of reduction in perceived bitterness by sweeteners at both threshold and suprathreshold concentrations of bitter compounds. Detection and recognition thresholds were determined for six bitter compounds (caffeine, denatonium benzoate, magnesium chloride, quinine hydrochloride, sucrose octaacetate, and urea) in the absence and presence of several suprathreshold concentrations of five sweeteners. The sweeteners were: sucrose, aspartame, sodium saccharin, mannitol, and sorbitol. Polycose was also tested along with the sweeteners. The degree to which bitter thresholds were affected by the addition of sweeteners was dependent on the chemical classification of the sweeteners and their concentrations. In general, the natural sweeteners, sucrose, mannitol, and sorbitol, were more effective than the noncaloric sweeteners, aspartame and sodium saccharin, in elevating the detection and recognition thresholds of the bitter compounds. A sweetness intensity approximating that of 6% sucrose (0.175 M sucrose) or greater was required to elevate thresholds. For elderly subjects, sweeteners did not significantly elevate thresholds for denatonium benzoate and sucrose octaacetate. The degree to which sorbitol and sucrose can decrease the perceived bitterness intensity of suprathreshold concentrations of the six bitter compounds was also determined. The concentrations of sweeteners and bitter compounds were selected to be of moderate to high subjective intensity. The levels of sweeteners used in the mixtures were: sucrose (none, 0.946 M, and 2.13 M) and sorbitol (none, 2.1 M, and 3.68 M). Both sweeteners significantly reduced the bitterness ratings of almost every concentration of the six bitter compounds. The greatest reductions in bitterness were 87.0% for 0.192 microM denatonium benzoate mixed with 2.13 M sucrose and 84.7% for 1.8 M urea mixed with 3.68 M sorbitol.

Effect of pleasant odors on mood of males at midlife : comparison of African-American and European-American men

The purpose of this study was to determine if daily use of colognes could elevate mood in middle-aged men. Sixty men ranging in age from 40 to 55 years participated in the study. Half were European-American and half were African-American. Mood ratings were obtained twice daily for 12 days using the Profile of Mood States questionnaire (POMS). The first 2 days of the experiment were used as baseline information to establish each mans mood prior to the administration of the colognes. The following 10 days of the study consisted of two conditions of 5 days each, the fragrance condition and the placebo condition. Main effects of condition (baseline, fragrance, placebo) were found for all POMS factors including tension, depression, anger, vigor, fatigue, and confusion, as well as for the Total Mood Disturbance score (TMD). The scores for the fragrance condition were significantly better than those for the baseline condition for tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion factors, as well as for the TMD. Also, the scores for the fragrance condition were significantly better than those for the placebo condition for all factors and the TMD. There was a main effect for race, with European-American subjects having significantly worse scores for tension and fatigue and significantly better scores for depression than African-American subjects. An interaction was present between race and condition for the depression, vigor, and confusion factors. The main conclusion of this study was that use of pleasant odors improved the mood of males at midlife.

Adaptation of sweeteners in water and in tannic acid solutions

Repeated exposure to a tastant often leads to a decrease in magnitude of the perceived intensity; this phenomenon is termed adaptation. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of adaptation of the sweet response for a variety of sweeteners in water and in the presence of two levels of tannic acid. Sweetness intensity ratings were given by a trained panel for 14 sweeteners: three sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), two polyhydric alcohols (mannitol, sorbitol), two terpenoid glycosides (rebaudioside-A, stevioside), two dipeptide derivatives (alitame, aspartame), one sulfamate (sodium cyclamate), one protein (thaumatin), two N-sulfonyl amides (acesulfame-K, sodium saccharin), and one dihydrochalcone (neohesperidin dihydrochalcone). Panelists were given four isointense concentrations of each sweetener by itself and in the presence of two concentrations of tannic acid. Each sweetener concentration was tasted and rated four consecutive times with a 30 s interval between each taste and a 2 min interval between each concentration. Within a taste session, a series of concentrations of a given sweetener was presented in ascending order of magnitude. Adaptation was calculated as the decrease in intensity from the first to the fourth sample. The greatest adaptation in water solutions was found for acesulfame-K, Na saccharin, rebaudioside-A, and stevioside. This was followed by the dipeptide sweeteners, alitame and aspartame. The least adaptation occurred with the sugars, polyhydric alcohols, and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone. Adaptation was greater in tannic acid solutions than in water for six sweeteners. Adaptation of sweet taste may result from the desensitization of sweetener receptors analogous to the homologous desensitization found in the beta adrenergic system.

Identification of gliadin presence in pharmaceutical products

Summary Celiac disease is characterized by hypersensitivity to the alcohol-soluble wheat proteins called gliadins. Total avoidance of gliadin is the lifelong treatment for such patients. However, wheat gliadins are often present as impurities in industrial starch commonly used in the preparation of different pharmaceutical products. Therefore, some drugs might contain gliadin, which can be dangerous for sensitive patients if taken in large amounts or used permanently. The purpose of this study was to develop a sensitive, reliable assay that is specific for the detection of gliadins in pharmaceutical products. Gliadins were extracted here using sodium dodecyl sulfate rather than 70% ethyl alcohol, which has been the traditional solvent. This gliadin extract was utilized in a dot-blot assay that incorporated an antigliadin antibody developed in rabbit and labeled with peroxidase. 4-Chloro-1-naphthol was used as a peroxidase-specific substrate. Isolated wheat gliadin was used as the positive control. Dilution experiments showed that the lower level of sensitivity for the assay was in the range of 0.0045 mg/ml of gliadin, which is a concentration level lower than that suggested for a gluten-free diet. The assay developed here revealed that 71.2% of 59 prescription and nonprescription drugs tested contained gliadin in the amount detected by our dot-blot assay. The prescription drugs tested were among the top 50 most frequently dispensed in U.S. community pharmacies. The nonprescription drugs were among those that constitute the largest sales in the United States. The results showed that the simple dot-blot assay developed here can be used for pharmaceutical testing performed either by hospital laboratories or by patients themselves.

Perception of Monosodium Glutamate in Water and Food by Young and Elderly Subjects

During aging, decrements in taste perception occur at both threshold and suprathreshold levels [1,2]. Many studies have demonstrated elevated taste thresholds in the elderly for solutions of sodium salts, sweeteners, acids, bitter compounds, and amino acids including monosodium glutamate [1,3]. Magnitude estimation and identification tests of suprathreshold taste sensitivity in aging populations also reveal decrements in intensity and in identification of taste solutions.