1. Molecular triggers of post-COVID-19 parosmia in grilled chicken
- Author
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Parker, Jane K., Kelly, Christine E., and Gane, Simon
- Subjects
parosmia ,chicken ,molecular triggers ,COVID-19 ,GC-Olfactometry ,anosmia ,olfactory dysfunction - Abstract
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, incidences of loss of smell and taste have increased substantially and, whereas many of these recover within a few weeks, in about 5% of all cases of COVID-19, olfactory dysfunction persists for many months or years. During the recovery process, many experience parosmia, which is a condition in which everyday aromas become distorted and usually evoke a sense of disgust. Previous work has shown that a set of highly potent odorants in coffee can trigger these distortions. They fall into clusters of thiols, disulphides and pyrazines, and many (but not all) of these compounds are products of the Maillard reaction. In this work, we investigated another Maillard system and asked whether any of the Maillard-derived trigger molecules from coffee were also reported to be triggers in grilled chicken. GC-olfactometry was carried out by four participants and one non-parosmic expert to assess all the odour-active compounds in grilled chicken. Results revealed that indeed six triggers were found in common with coffee – all derived from the Maillard reaction. We postulate that the same few compounds may be responsible for distortions in many roasted, grilled and fried foods, and recommend that those suffering from parosmia avoid highly cooked foods.
- Published
- 2021
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