Forefront of Taste Research July 21, 14:23

Taste is one of the five senses such as sight and hearing.

Taste research is now attracting attention in order to prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity and hypertension.

Challenge the entrance exam question!

First is the entrance exam question regarding taste.

Problem

We perceive spoilage as acidity, poison as bitterness, and what the body needs as sweetness and umami.

What do you say that sweetness and umami sense out of the five major nutrients?

(Azabu Junior High School 2022)

An example of the answer is that sweetness is carbohydrate and umami is protein.

Carbohydrates are the energy to move the body.

Protein is the basis for building the body such as muscles and blood.

Why taste research now?

Taste problems cause illness

So why is the study of taste attracting attention now?

We talked to Rie Tsutsumi, a registered dietitian and a lecturer at the Graduate School of Tokushima University.

Mr. Tsutsumi:

"Isn't the deterioration of taste that accompanies aging harming the health of the elderly? Isn't it possible that improving taste prevents diseases such as lifestyle-related diseases? I'm having a taste disorder. I think it's a topic now because of various things overlapping. "

How do you feel the taste in the first place?

The tongue has an organ called "taste".

The cells in the taste sense the substances that cause sweetness and saltiness, and send electrical signals to the brain to recognize the taste.

If something goes wrong, such as the loss of these cells, the taste will not be felt properly, and excess sugar and salt will be taken, which may lead to lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity and high blood pressure.

Mr. Tsutsumi

"Adults have about 7,500 tasting cells, but the power to renew cells slows down as they get older. I think it is important for health itself to be able to feel the taste properly. "

People who are less likely to feel umami are more likely to gain weight !?

Last year, the research result that "people who do not feel umami are more likely to gain weight" was announced regarding taste.

It was reported that people with low sensitivity to umami could not recognize the taste well and were likely to lead to obesity because they ate a lot of sweet, high-calorie foods and sweets.

Therefore, Mr. Tsutsumi conducted an experiment in which people with reduced umami sensitivity were asked to take a large amount of glutamic acid, which is an umami ingredient, in their diet.

As a result, it is said that the average daily calorie intake decreased in 5 out of 8 people.

Mr. Tsutsumi:

"Additional umami reduced overeating. I was able to control my weight gain. It may be meaningful to control obesity with taste."

Salt reduction measures with taste and technology !?

On the other hand, research is also underway to control the taste with the power of electricity.

Yoshiaki Miyashita, a professor at Meiji University, has developed "chopsticks whose taste can be controlled by electrical stimulation."

Mr. Miyashita

"It makes the taste of food feel strong. For example, a low-salt diet with a light taste feels more salty and feels about the same as a normal meal."

When you connect chopsticks to a device, a very small amount of electricity that does not affect your body flows, and you can increase the saltiness you feel by 1.5 times.

I tried it with miso soup made from low-salt miso soup.

Kamakura Announcer

"Surely Thin"

Next, connect the device to your chopsticks and try the same thing.

If the taste really changes, try running electricity ...

Announcer Kamakura

"Something suddenly changed the taste. It feels like the taste has become deeper than salty. It used to be light like soup, but now it's normal miso soup. It turned into delicious miso soup. "

The secret to the strong taste is the sodium ion that is the source of the salty taste.

It means that it floats from the tongue or sticks to the tongue by using its electrically charged nature.

Mr. Miyashita explained using cushions that look like tongues.

Mr. Miyashita

"If you use this electricity to make your body positive, sodium ions are also positive, so you can repel each other and float. If this drops at once in this state, you may feel that it is darker than the original salty taste. "

These chopsticks can be used to enhance the taste of chopsticks that can utilize the properties of electricity, such as sourness and umami.

It will be put into practical use next year.

Mr. Miyashita

"Reducing salt can help maintain health and prevent future illnesses. But if the taste isn't enough, it's not delicious and not fun. Using these chopsticks will make a healthy diet even better. I think you can do it with a high level of mental satisfaction. "

Taste research that progresses in various forms.

The question is whether it is possible to train the taste, but according to Mr. Tsutsumi, a lecturer at the Graduate School of Tokushima University, he eats various kinds of foods to improve the nutritional status of the cells in the taste. It means that you can train your taste sensation by keeping your mouth clean.

Mr. Tsutsumi also said that he wants children to be interested in taste, enjoy food, and protect their health.

In "Migake, Curiosity!" Of "Weekly Maru-Knowledge News" (broadcast at 8:25 am on Sunday), we will delve into the news every week on the subject of current affairs given in the entrance examination.

Let's think of "why?", In fact, "in the first place" that you want to know as a Kamakura caster.

You can also review the past on the homepage of the corner.

Please take a look from the link below.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/maruwaka-migake/