Dive Brief:
- Scientists uncovered evidence regarding a potential sixth flavor humans can detect: starch. This flour taste could explain consumers' carb cravings, according to a recent study published in the journal Chemical Senses.
- Oregon State University researchers gave volunteers a variety of different carbohydrate solutions, including those with both long and shorter carbohydrate chains. Though what they said they tasted ranged from rice to bread or flour, volunteers consistently detected a floury flavor regardless of the type of carbohydrate chain present in the sample.
- Volunteers could still detect the flour taste even after researchers gave them a compound that shuts off tongue receptors for sweetness.
Dive Insight:
This would be the first expansion of detectable flavor profiles for humans since researchers added the savory umami flavor often associated with monosodium glutamate (MSG) to the list seven years ago. Prior to that, the list consisted only of salty, sweet, sour and bitter.
Researchers long attributed carb cravings to the detection of shorter chains and simple sugars, the result of an enzyme breakdown of starches in the saliva. But different tests the researchers employed for this study question those long-held assumptions and demonstrate a greater complexity of human taste.
Manufacturers have been fighting against waning popularity for carb-heavy products like pasta while consumers take more interest in healthy fats and gluten-free foods. This research suggests a reasoning behind consumers' carb cravings that manufacturers could use to their advantage when developing and marketing products.
The research itself could go over consumers' heads, as the understanding of differences between simple and complex carbs can be confusing. But even health-conscious consumers value flavor as a major factor in purchase decisions. Manufacturers could balance humans' natural flavor preference for complex carbohydrates with the health benefits those complex carbs can offer to create a product that appeals to taste and health sensibilities.