Many purportedly healthy foods taste bad. Frustratingly, certain molecules that cause unpleasant flavor sensations are often the exact same molecules thought to improve health (e.g., polyphenols in tea or chocolate may be good for heart health, but also taste bitter). Yet, despite the unpalatable nature of these molecules in isolation, some individuals develop preferences for foods rich in purportedly ?unpalatable? flavors. For example, there are groups of likers and dislikers for spiciness, certain bitter foods, and healthier fats. If we could target a physiological means to shift flavor of the health-promoting molecules, we might be able to help the dislikers for these healthy foods switch to a healthier diet. Proteins present in human saliva have the potential to modify many of the unpalatable flavors in healthy foods. However, the flavor interactions of saliva have not been extensively tested and verified, and very little is known regarding how the amount of an individual's salivary proteins might change over time. Thus, we will 1) determine how proteins in saliva modify flavor, and 2) determine if frequent exposure to a flavor changes salivary expression. Establishing these baseline characteristics of how saliva influences flavor will allow us to better explain variability in flavor perception and liking. This could aid in future work to enhance the flavor of healthy foods. By reducing the intensity or unpleasant quality of these sensations, we may be able to help people maintain better diets. This would be particularly impactful for people who currently avoid foods such as fruits and vegetables due to poor palatability, as these individuals also carry higher risk for diet-related chronic disease
Many ?healthy? foods have flavors that are very divisive: there are likers and dislikers for bitterness from tea or coffee, spiciness from peppers, and the various forms of healthier fats. We propose that saliva might account for some of these differences, and we will test this by determining which salivary proteins correlate with flavor as well as how the concentrations of those salivary proteins change over time. Establishing how saliva influences flavors and liking could lead to new ways to help people switch to and maintain healthier diets.
