Salivary Proteins Alter Bitter Taste
Many nutritionally beneficial plants contain bitter compounds that may cause people to exclude them from their diets. The perception of these compounds has been hypothesized to be modulated by the interaction of salivary proteins, but the effect of these proteins on the response of the taste nerves...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | English English |
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Florida State University
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| Online Access: | http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-9665 |
| Summary: | Many nutritionally beneficial plants contain bitter compounds that may cause people to exclude them from their diets. The perception of these compounds has been hypothesized to be modulated by the interaction of salivary proteins, but the effect of these proteins on the response of the taste nerves has yet to be studied. Our study is the first to demonstrate an effect of salivary proteins in diminishing the response of the chorda tympani nerve to quinine. In a follow-up experiment, we demonstrate that these salivary proteins are able to precipitate quinine out of solution, which may interfere with its ability to stimulate the taste receptors. These data suggest a role of salivary proteins in modulating bitter taste perception. === A Thesis submitted to the Department of Psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. === Summer Semester 2015. === May 21, 2015. === bitter, electrophysiology, quinine, saliva, tannin, taste === Includes bibliographical references. === Robert Contreras, Professor Co-Directing Thesis; Zuoxin Wang, Professor Co-Directing Thesis; Ann-Marie Torregrossa, Committee Member; Colleen Kelley, Committee Member. |
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