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This book provides the basic concepts and latest findings on kokumi substances. It covers not only the topics related to food chemistry, but also the biochemical and physiological mechanisms of the perception of kokumi substances. Food palatability is determined by many factors, including taste, aroma, texture, color, physiological condition, and circumstances. The attribute called “koku” is used in Japan to express delicious foods. The definition of koku attribute was previously proposed to be caused by the sensation of richness, body, lingering (continuity), and mouthfulness in terms of taste, aroma, and texture. Kokumi substance is one of the taste-related koku enhancers and is defined as a substance that enhances complexity, richness (body), and lastingness (continuity), although it has no taste itself at the dose. The topics in this book cover physiological studies, including the receptor mechanism, taste nerve recording, and human brain responses using functional MRI. It also discusses the sensory characteristics of kokumi substances when added to foods and the effect of kokumi substances on the satiety. The intended readers are university students, researchers and technologists in food science, food chemistry, nutritional sciences, taste physiology, and neuroscience. Non-expert readers interested in food palatability and the deliciousness of foods may also find this book useful.

In this essential, Petra Schling gives an overview of the current state of research on the topic of taste. She regards taste as a sensory perception that allows us to distinguish essential food components from toxins. What we eat depends not insignificantly on how we like it. But how do we actually taste - and what do we taste? As omnivores, we humans have a relatively wide range of taste receptors, not only in our mouths, which provide us with important information about our food. Outside the mouth, taste receptors serve our innate immune system to'taste'bacteria, worms and other intruders. We can and should rely on this. Our sense of taste warns us of toxins and unwanted co-inhabitants and can only be deceived to a very limited extent by sweeteners, bitter blockers or similar tricks.This Springer essential is a translation of the original German 1st edition essentials,Der Geschmack by Petra Schling, published by Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature in 2021.The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.

The purpose of NEURAL MECHANISM in TASTE is to emphasize physiological principles and reveal new insights of this most recent research. This book is aimed to reach scientists within the broad area of neurophysiology as well as those in other disciplines who have interests in sensory mechanisms. The focus is on two major themes--peripheral mechanisms and neural processing at the central level. Every chapter is written by an expert on the subject matter, including definitive updates on the status of each topic. This work is not only useful to researchers in taste, but also to basic and applied scientists in related fields (such as food technology), doctoral and postdoctoral students.

This is the first book to explore the science underlying the concept of “koku”, which is central to an understanding of the palatability of food within Japanese cuisine and is attracting increasing interest among food scientists and professionals worldwide. Koku may be defined as the sensation that results from the complexity of the food (i.e., its richness or body), its lingering aftertaste or persistence, and its heartiness in terms of taste, aroma, and texture. A variety of substances have been found to impact significantly on koku, including umami substances, phytosterols, certain aromatic compounds, and kokumi substances. In Koku – Food Science and Physiology, readers will find full explanation of the conceptual aspects and the latest research results on a wide range of topics, including the relevant flavor chemistry and sensory analysis. Written by leading scientists in the field, the book will be a valuable resource for students and researchers in the fields of food chemistry, nutritional science, taste physiology, and neuroscience, as well as for professionals in the food industry.

Petra Schling gibt in diesem essential einen Überblick über den aktuellen Stand der Forschung zum Thema Geschmack. Dabei betrachtet sie Geschmack als Sinneswahrnehmung, die uns erlaubt, essenzielle Nahrungsbestandteile von Giften zu unterscheiden. Was wir essen hängt nicht unwesentlich davon ab, wie es uns schmeckt. Aber wie schmecken wir eigentlich – und was überhaupt? Als Omnivoren (Allesfresser) besitzen wir Menschen eine relativ breite Palette an Geschmacks-Rezeptoren nicht nur im Mund, die uns wichtige Informationen über unsere Nahrung vermitteln. Außerhalb des Mundes dienen Geschmackssinneszellen unserer angeborenen Immunabwehr dazu, Bakterien, Würmer und andere Eindringlinge zu „schmecken“. Darauf können und sollten wir uns verlassen. Unser Geschmackssinn warnt uns vor Giften und unerwünschten Mitbewohnern und lässt sich nur sehr bedingt durch Süßstoffe, Bitterblocker oder ähnliche Tricks täuschen.

Leading neuroscientist Gordon M. Shepherd embarks on a paradigm-shifting trip through the'human brain flavor system,'laying the foundations for a new scientific field: neurogastronomy. Challenging the belief that the sense of smell diminished during human evolution, Shepherd argues that this sense, which constitutes the main component of flavor, is far more powerful and essential than previously believed.Shepherd begins Neurogastronomy with the mechanics of smell, particularly the way it stimulates the nose from the back of the mouth. As we eat, the brain conceptualizes smells as spatial patterns, and from these and the other senses it constructs the perception of flavor. Shepherd then considers the impact of the flavor system on contemporary social, behavioral, and medical issues. He analyzes flavor's engagement with the brain regions that control emotion, food preferences, and cravings, and he even devotes a section to food's role in drug addiction and, building on Marcel Proust's iconic tale of the madeleine, its ability to evoke deep memories. Shepherd connects his research to trends in nutrition, dieting, and obesity, especially the challenges that many face in eating healthily. He concludes with human perceptions of smell and flavor and their relationship to the neural basis of consciousness. Everyone from casual diners and ardent foodies to wine critics, chefs, scholars, and researchers will delight in Shepherd's fascinating, scientific-gastronomic adventures.

Presents the State-of-the-Art in Fat Taste TransductionA bite of cheese, a few potato chips, a delectable piece of bacon - a small taste of high-fat foods often draws you back for more. But why are fatty foods so appealing? Why do we crave them? Fat Detection: Taste, Texture, and Post Ingestive Effects covers the many factors responsible for the se

Providing an essential brainstem relay for three cranial nerves, the NST coordinates highly complex sensory information. While other functions of the NST have received attention, its role in gustatory processing has received little. The first reference devoted exclusively to gustatory processing, The Role of the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract in Gus