Perception of Aqueous Ethanol Binary Mixtures Containing Alcohol-Relevant Taste and Chemesthetic Stimuli

Abstract

Ethanol is a complex stimulus that elicits multiple gustatory and chemesthetic sensations. Alcoholic beverages also contain other tastants that impact flavour. Here, we sought to characterize the binary interactions between ethanol and four stimuli representing the dominant orosensations elicited in alcoholic beverages: fructose (sweet), quinine (bitter), tartaric acid (sour) and aluminium sulphate (astringent). Female participants were screened for thermal taste status to determine whether the heightened orosensory responsiveness of thermal tasters (n = 21–22) compared to thermal non-tasters (n = 13–15) extends to these binary mixtures. Participants rated the intensity of five orosensations in binary solutions of ethanol (5%, 13%, 23%) and a tastant (low, medium, high). For each tastant, 3-way ANOVAs determined which factors impacted orosensory ratings. Burning/tingling increased as ethanol concentration increased in all four binary mixture types and was not impacted by the concentration of other stimuli. In contrast, bitterness increased with ethanol concentration, and decreased with increasing fructose concentration. Sourness tended to be reduced as ethanol concentration increased, although astringency intensity decreased with increasing concentration of fructose. Overall, thermal tasters tended to be more responsive than thermal non-tasters. These results provide insights into how the taste and chemesthetic profiles of alcoholic beverages across a wide range of ethanol concentrations can be manipulated by changing their composition.

Self-Rated Aversion to Taste Qualities and the PROP Taster Phenotype Associate with Alcoholic Beverage Intake and Preference

“…The dominant sensations elicited by ethanol, the primary product of fermentation, are nominally aversive (bitterness, burning/tingling, astringency [14][15][16]). Thus, it has been hypothesized that individuals who are more responsive to these sensations consume less alcohol as it is less likely to be pleasant.…”

“…In contrast, Higgins and Hayes [17] reported that the intensity of tetralone (a hop extract that is bitter) and pale ale consumption were positively correlated for pale ale consumers, suggesting that for a subset of consumers the bitterness elicited by hops may be desirable. Furthermore, ethanol also elicits sweetness [14][15][16], a sensation that is typically characterized as appetitive [18]. Lanier et al [19] demonstrated that increased sweetness of sampled scotch was associated with an increase in overall alcohol consumption, whereas the opposite was true for the bitterness.…”

Feature Papers in Sensory Analysis of Beverages

“…Within the Special Issue, the study developed by Thibodeau & Pickering [1] aimed at understanding the response to ethanol combined with some associated taste and chemesthetic stimuli that could impact the perception of its sensory properties. These authors centered their research on the response to consumption of binary mixtures containing ethanol, but considered some individual characteristics (thermal taster status of the panelists) within the study variables.…”