The anatomy of odour wheels for odours of drinking water, wastewater, compost and the urban environment

In the drinking water and air pollution fields, odour quality characterisation and intensity of each odour characteristic needs to be developed to evaluate the causes of the odours present. Drinking water quality characterisation has matured to the point where an "odour wheel" is described and the primary chemicals producing the odour are known and therefore a potential treatment can be defined from the odours reported. Sufficient understanding of the types of odorous compounds that can arise from wastewater and compost treatment processes and odours in the urban environment are starting to emerge. This article presents the anatomy of the odour wheels. It is hoped that the foundation of odour wheels will evolve as odour quality data are reported and linked with chemical causation. The compost and urban odour wheels are presented in print for the first time.

Relationships between insulin release and taste

Tasting sweet food elicits insulin release prior to increasing plasma glucose levels, known as cephalic phase insulin release (CPIR). The characteristic of CPIR is that plasma insulin secretion occurs before the rise of the plasma glucose level. In this experiment, we examined whether taste stimuli placed on the tongue could induce CPIR. We used female Wistar rats and five basic taste stimuli: sucrose (sweet), sodium chloride (salty), HCl (sour), quinine (bitter) or monosodium glutamate (umami). Rats reliably exhibited CPIR to sucrose. Sodium chloride, HCl, quinine, or monosodium glutamate did not elicit CPIR. The non-nutritive sweetener saccharine elicited CPIR. However, starch, which is nutritive but non-sweet, did not elicit CPIR although rats showed a strong preference for starch which is a source of glucose. In addition, we studied whether CPIR was related to taste receptor cell activity. We carried out the experiment in rats with bilaterally cut chorda tympani nerves, one of the gustatory nerves. After sectioning, CPIR was not observed for sweet stimulation. From these results, we conclude that sweetness information conducted by thistaste nerve provides essential information for eliciting CPIR.

PERCEIVED INTENSITY AND PLEASANTNESS OF SUCROSE TASTE IN MALE ALCOHOLICS

AIMS

The aim of the present study was to evaluate a possible relationship between taste responses to sweet solutions and alcoholic status.

METHODS

The rated intensity and pleasantness of sucrose taste was compared in male alcoholics (n = 45) and non-alcoholic controls (n = 33).

RESULTS

The rated intensity, but not pleasantness, of water taste (0% sucrose) was higher in the alcoholics. The two groups did not differ with respect to the rated intensity or pleasantness of sucrose solutions (1-30%). The proportion of sweet-likers, i.e. subjects rating 30% sucrose as most pleasant, was similar in both groups (the controls: 57.6%, the alcoholics: 62.2%). A subgroup of alcoholics with a paternal history of alcoholism (n = 22) rated the highest sucrose concentration as more pleasant compared to alcoholics without alcoholic fathers. The proportion of sweet-likers among the alcoholics with a paternal history of alcoholism (77.3%) was significantly higher than that found in the alcoholics without a familial history of alcoholism (47.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

The present results suggest the following: (i) alcohol dependence is not associated with any major alterations in taste responses to sucrose solutions, (ii) sweet liking is a phenotypic marker of male alcoholics with a paternal history of alcoholism.

Relation between acute and late irradiation impairment of four basic tastes and irradiated tongue volume in patients with head-and-neck cancer

PURPOSE

Taste loss is a major cause of morbidity in patients undergoing head-and-neck irradiation. The relationship between the time course and the degree of taste disorder was studied in both acute and late phases.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Taste ability was measured by the taste threshold for the four basic tastes using a filter paper disc method in patients before, during, and after radiotherapy. The subjects were divided into two groups. In Group A, the radiation fields included most of the tongue (n = 100), and in Group B the radiation fields did not include the tip of the tongue (n = 18).

RESULTS

In Group A, there was a significant impairment of the threshold of all four basic tastes at 3 weeks after starting radiotherapy (RT), and this impairment remained at 8 weeks (p < 0.05). This was not seen in Group B. In Group A, there was no significant difference in the patterns of taste sensitivity change between the high-dose (>20 Gy) and low-dose (< or =20 Gy) groups. In the late phase, recovery of taste loss was seen in both groups since 4 months after completing RT.

CONCLUSIONS

Unless the anterior part of the tongue was irradiated, taste loss was not observed during RT. When the anterior part of the tongue was irradiated, a difference by radiation dose was not observed in the taste loss pattern. Additionally, radiation-induced taste dysfunction appears to be a temporal effect.

Subthreshold Olfactory Stimulation Can Enhance Sweetness

The impact of olfactory perception on sweetness was explored in a model solution using odorants at subthreshold concentrations. First, the impact of 6 odorants, previously described in the literature as congruent with sweetness, was investigated at suprathreshold level in a sucrose solution. Ethyl butyrate and maltol were selected as they had the highest and the lowest sweetness-enhancing properties, respectively. Second, the impact on sweetness of the 2 odorants was investigated at subthreshold concentrations. A system delivering a continuous liquid flow at the same sucrose level, but with varying odorant concentrations, was used. At a subthreshold level, ethyl butyrate but not maltol significantly enhanced the sweetness of the sucrose solution. This study highlights that olfactory perception induced by odorants at a subthreshold level can significantly modulate taste perception. Finally, contrary to results observed with ethyl butyrate at suprathreshold levels, at subthreshold levels, the intensity of sweetness enhancement was not proportional to ethyl butyrate concentration.

Salt taste threshold and salt good taste sensitivity in a community of students of the southern area of Puerto Rico

Sodium appetite reflects the importance of sodium homeostasis. The sodium ion is one of the most important risk factors in the development of hypertension. Humans, for various reasons, seem to have a specific preference for salt which is consumed in excess of need and this has been characterized as an important contributor to hypertension. Salt intake is related to the salt taste sensitivity threshold and the salt good taste level. Gustatory sensibility responds to various physiological mechanisms and salt taste is directly modified by cultural and socio-economical factors. We measured the salt taste sensitivity threshold and salt good taste level of a young student population. Air popped popcorn sprayed with different Molar concentrations of salt where given to students to taste and a questionnaire to evaluate diet salt intake preferences. Both salt taste sensitivity threshold and salt good taste level graph patterns are different from each other. Salt taste sensitivity threshold has a bell shape distribution with different molar salt concentrations. The major tendency of the salt umbral sensitivity of our population was the 0.5 M concentration. Salt good taste level has an exponential shape distribution with different molar salt concentrations. The tendency for the good taste level of our population was 3 M. Smoking does not seem to modify the salt taste sensitivity thresholds or the salt good taste level graphs. Also, salt shaker use does not seem to modify salt taste sensitivity thresholds or salt good taste level graphs in our population. Salt taste sensitivity threshold is probably associated to morpho-physiological factors. Salt good taste level is mainly associated with the cultural environment. The majority of subjects have a tendency to prefer foods with higher concentrations of salt increasing the possibility of exposure to the salt intake risk factor.

Preparation of roxithromycin-polymeric microspheres by the emulsion solvent diffusion method for taste masking

Microspheres of roxithromycin with Eudragit S100 and silica were prepared by the emulsion solvent diffusion method to mask the bitter taste of the antibiotic. The effect of different polymers and drug-polymer ratios on the taste masking and the characteristics of the microspheres were investigated. It was found that Eudragit S100 was the best for masking the unpleasant taste of roxithromycin among the six kinds of polymers investigated. The results of DSC, X-ray diffraction and IR showed that there were several combinations of roxithromycin and Eudragit S100. The influence of other formulation factors, i.e. dichloromethane-acetone ratios and silica-polymer ratios on the properties of the microspheres were also examined. In conclusion, the results of the present study will be helpful for the preparation of oral forms of roxithromycin with an acceptable taste.

The relationship between phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) taster status and taste thresholds for sucrose and quinine

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of taster status with taste detection and recognition thresholds for sucrose and quinine.

DESIGN

Sixty-nine subjects (35 men and 34 women; mean age, 23.9+/-1.2 years) were included. Stimulus fluids were prepared, one each for phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), sucrose and quinine HCl. In each series, successive solutions, which comprised a total of 15 grades, differed by 0.25log units of the molar concentration. Two concentrations of NaCl (0.32 and 1.0 M) were prepared. The subjects were classified as nontasters and tasters using their PTC and PROP perceptions. Tasters were classified as medium-tasters and supertasters by the ratio of perceived bitterness of above-threshold PROP relative to the perceived saltiness of NaCl (PROP ratio). Taste detection and recognition thresholds for sucrose and quinine were determined by standard two-alternative forced choice trials. A Student's t-test, a Pearson's correlation analysis and linear contrasts in a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used.

RESULTS

The percentages of nontaster, medium-taster and supertaster were 13, 70 and 17%, respectively. There were no significant gender differences in the taste detection and recognition thresholds for sucrose and quinine. The threshold for PTC and PROP showed significant correlations with taste threshold for quinine. Linear contrast in one-way ANOVA showed that the greater the value of PROP ratio, the more sensitive to sweet and bitter tastes (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The PTC and PROP taster status is closely related with taste detection and recognition thresholds for sucrose and quinine.

[Assessment of taste development in 62 newborn infants]

OBJECTIVE

To study the differential facial responses to four basic tastes of the newborns and the gender-related different taste sensitivity.

METHODS

Sixty-two newborns (31 females and 31 males) born in the Department of Obstetrics, First Hospital of the Chongqing University of Medical Sciences were tested for responses to four solutions, including 25% sucrose (sweet), 5% sodium chloride (salt), 1.43% citric acid (sour), and 0.025% berberine (bitter) 90 minutes after birth. The inclusion criteria were: (1) medically uncomplicated full-term pregnancy; (2) medically uncomplicated spontaneous vaginal delivery; (3) Apgar score of at least 8 at 1 and 5 min. All the infants were found to be normal and healthy on pediatric examination. The facial responses of the newborns were recorded by video. The facial responses were divided into nine facial action units and expressions from A1 to C3, which are also expressed as the 1 - 9 grades of intensity, crying was included as grade 9 and nausea was defined as grade 10 intensity. The distinctions of the facial responses were analyzed by chi-square test. The distinctions of sex in the facial responses were analyzed by the Wilcoxon test.

RESULTS

All the newborns were full term, excluding the medical conditions. The average birth weight of the newborns was 3324.3 g. The data from the study indicated that absence of distinctive mouth action or sucking was the major facial response of the infants to sucrose solution (P < 0.01). There were no special expressions when the newborns were given the salt solution (P > 0.01). The lip pursing with negative brow and middle face actions were major response of the infants to the sour solution (citric acid) (P < 0.01). The expressions in response to the bitter solution of the infants were the mouth gaping with negative brow and middle face actions (P < 0.01). The facial responses to the sweet and bitter solutions in the boys were more sensitive than those in the girls (P < 0.01). There was no sex difference in the intensities of the facial responses to the salt and sour solutions (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The newborns had distinct responses to the four solutions shortly after birth. The facial expression to sweet and bitter solutions in the boys were more sensitive than in the girls.

Associations between phenylthiocarbamide gene polymorphisms and cigarette smoking

Phenotypic evidence indicates that the ability to taste the bitter compounds phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) may protect against cigarette smoking. In this study, PTC gene haplotypes were found to be associated with both the odds of being a smoker and the importance of cigarette taste as a smoking motive. Smokers (n = 384) and nonsmokers (n = 183) were genotyped for polymorphisms that affect taste sensitivity to PTC and PROP. The "taster" PAV haplotype, relative to the "nontaster" AVI haplotype, was predicted to be associated with reduced odds of being a smoker and lower taste motivation as measured by the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives-68 taste/sensory processes scale. The results did not support the predicted association between the PAV and AVI haplotypes and smoker odds, but the AAV haplotype, which confers intermediate PTC/PROP taste sensitivity, was associated with reduced smoker prevalence (49% vs. 70%), chi(2)(1, N = 567) = 10.392, p = .001. The predicted relationship between PAV and AVI and taste motivation was found, F(2, 348) = 3.303, p = .038. The results encourage further exploration of the role of taste/sensory processes in tobacco dependence.

Odour and taste sensitivity is associated with body weight and extent of misreporting of body weight

BACKGROUND

Sensory factors are important determinants of appetite and food choices but little is known about the relationship between body weight and sensory capabilities.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between measured body weights, misreporting of body weight and sensory capabilities.

DESIGN

In a cross-sectional sensory study, body weight was assessed by measured and self-reported body weight in healthy men (n=130) and women (n=181). Sensory capabilities were assessed as odour detection and identification, and detection for salty, sweet, sour and bitter taste.

RESULTS

Odour detection, odour identification and taste perception scores were lower in subjects with a BMI >or=28 kg/m(2) than in subjects with a BMI <28 kg/m(2) in the age group <65 years whereas in subjects >or=65 years scores were higher in subjects with a BMI >or=28 kg/m(2) than in subjects with a BMI <28 kg/m(2) (BMI*age group: P=0.015, 0.053 and 0.015, respectively). Independent of age, scores were highest in under reporters of body weight (P=0.008, 0.001 and 0.017). Differences in taste perception could be attributed to sour (P=0.015) and bitter (P=0.026) perception, but not to salty or sweet perception.

CONCLUSION

Relationship between sensory capabilities and body mass is age dependent. Compared to overweight subjects, the sensory capabilities of normal weight individuals appear to be higher (<65 years) and lower (>or=65 years). At any age, however, subjects who under reported their body weight show higher sensory capabilities.

Quantitative analysis of sanshool compounds in Japanese pepper (Xanthoxylum piperitum DC.) and their pungent characteristics

The distributions of each sanshool in the Japanese pepper plant grown in various regions and the change in composition of sanshools during maturation of the fruit were investigated. The degree of pungency, defined as the amount of a sanshool/the threshold value, was calculated, and the pungent qualities of the products were evaluated and compared. The degree of pungency and amount of a sanshool showed a positive correlation. In young leaves and flowers, the degree of pungency was less than that in the fruits, the main compound being alpha-sanshool, while the two hydroxy sanshools were detected only in trace amounts. The main compound in fruits was hydroxy alpha-sanshool, whose threshold value was higher than that of alpha-sanshool. It is concluded that the pungency of Japanese pepper should be evaluated not only by the threshold values, but also by the pungent qualities, the composition of sanshools, and the usage of each product of Japanese pepper.

Increased taste intensity perception exhibited by patients with chronic back pain

There is overlap between brain regions involved in taste and pain perception, and cortical injuries may lead to increases as well as decreases in sensitivity to taste. Recently it was shown that chronic back pain (CBP) is associated with a specific pattern of brain atrophy. Since CBP is characterized by increased sensitivity to pain, we reasoned that the sense of taste might also be enhanced in CBP. Detection and recognition thresholds were established for a sour taste and ratings of both suprathreshold taste intensity and pleasantness-unpleasantness perception were collected for sweet, sour, salty and bitter stimuli in 11 CBP patients and 11 matched control subjects. As a control, ratings were also collected for visual assessment of degree of grayness. There was no difference between CBP and control subjects for visual grayness rating. On the other hand, CBP patients in comparison to control subjects rated gustatory stimuli as significantly more intense but no more or less pleasant and showed a trend towards a lower detection threshold (i.e. increased sensitivity). The selectivity of the taste disturbance suggests interaction between pain and taste at specific brain sites and provides further evidence that CBP involves specific brain abnormalities.

Electrophysiological and behavioural characterization of gustatory responses to antennal ‘bitter’ taste in honeybees

We combined behavioural and electrophysiological experiments to study whether bitter taste is perceived at the antennal level in honeybees, Apis mellifera. Our behavioural studies showed that neither quinine nor salicin delivered at one antenna at different concentrations induced a retraction of the proboscis once it was extended in response to 1 M sucrose solution delivered to the opposite antenna. Bees that extended massively their proboscis to 1 M sucrose responded only partially when stimulated with a mixture of 1 M sucrose and 100 mM quinine. The mixture of 1 m sucrose and 100 mM salicin had no such suppressive effect. No behavioural suppression was found for mixtures of salt solution and either bitter substance. Electrophysiological recordings of taste sensillae at the antennal tip revealed sensillae that responded specifically either to sucrose or salt solutions, but none responded to the bitter substances quinine and salicin at the different concentrations tested. The electrophysiological responses of sensillae to 15 mM sucrose solution were inhibited by a mixture of 15 mM sucrose and 0.1 mM quinine, but not by a mixture of 15 mM sucrose and 0.1 mM salicin. The responses of sensillae to 50 mM NaCl were reduced by a mixture of 50 mm NaCl and 1 mM quinine but not by a mixture of 50 mM NaCl and 1 mM salicin. We concluded that no receptor cells for the bitter substances tested, exist at the level of the antennal tip of the honeybee and that antennal bitter taste is not represented as a separate perceptual quality.

Differential covariation in taste responsiveness to bitter stimuli in rats

Variation exists in the sensitivity of individual rodents and humans to different bitter tastants. An absence of uniform correlation in responsiveness to different bitter substances across individuals within a species suggests heterogeneity in the mechanisms underlying stimulus processing within this taste modality. Here, we examined taste responsiveness of individual rats to three bitter compounds (quinine hydrochloride, denatonium benzoate, and cycloheximide) in short-term lick tests to determine the magnitude of covariation among responses to these stimuli and infer commonalities in their receptor and neural mechanisms. Rats were tested with a given pair of bitter stimuli during three sessions comprising randomized trial blocks of six concentrations of each stimulus + deionized water. Psychophysical functions were generated for individual rats for respective stimulus pairs, and concentrations of each stimulus that produced equivalent lick suppression relative to water were correlated across animals. Behavioral taste responsiveness to quinine hydrochloride strongly covaried with responsiveness to denatonium benzoate (r = +0.82). Lick responsiveness to quinine was less robustly correlated with that to cycloheximide (r = +0.44), and denatonium and cycloheximide responses failed to correlate. These results imply substantial overlap in the bitter taste coding mechanisms for quinine and denatonium but some degree of independence in the mechanisms responsible for gustatory processing of cycloheximide. More generally, these data reinforce the notion that bitter taste processing is not a homogeneous event.

Qualitative differences of divalent salts: multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis

Sensations from salts of iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc with different anions were studied using a sorting task and multidimensional scaling (MDS). Ten divalent salts were adjusted in concentrations such that the mean intensity ratings were approximately equal. Stimuli were sorted on the basis of similarity to minimize any semantic influence and were examined with and without nasal occlusion to eliminate retronasal cues. Compounds representing the four primary tastes and astringency were also sorted. Similarity estimates were derived from sorting and were submitted to MDS. Divalent salts fell outside the area of the space defined by the four primary tastes. The nose-open condition showed that some of the divalent salts have unique metallic sensations along with astringency. The groupings obtained were corroborated using single-linkage cluster analysis. An iron group was most distinctive in metallic sensations; calcium and magnesium salts were primarily bitter; and zinc salts were characterized by astringency. When nasal cues were not available, the sensations from the divalent salts were mainly explained by bitterness and astringency. Results were consistent with a previous evaluation of divalent salts using descriptive analysis.

Gustatory agnosia

OBJECTIVE

To report the assessment of a patient exhibiting gustatory agnosia.

METHODS

Preoperative and postoperative neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and chemosensory evaluations were performed in a 39-year-old woman undergoing surgical treatment for intractable epilepsy.

RESULTS

Preoperative MRIs showed bilateral (right > left) atrophy in the medial temporal lobes and complete atrophy of the left insula. Evaluation of gustatory function revealed normal suprathreshold intensity estimation, affective evaluation, and detection thresholds but elevated recognition thresholds. A functional neuroimaging study showed activation to stimulation of aversive taste in the left amygdala. Surgical treatment entailed resection from the left medial temporal lobe that included the region of amygdala that had responded to taste. Postoperatively, detection, naming, and intensity estimation for taste remained normal, but the patient was unable to recognize different tastes (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter). A second evaluation 2.5 years after her surgery revealed no change in taste ability.

CONCLUSION

The anteromedial temporal lobe has an important role in recognizing taste quality.

[An evaluation of the usefulness of impulse-current stimulation in electrogustometry--preliminary report]

Electrogustometry is a simple and fast method of quantitative taste examination. The direct-current monopolar stimulating equipment was most frequently used until now. Aim of the study was to evaluate usefulness of the new method based on bipolar stimulation with impulse-current Furthermore, the authors wanted to determine taste thresholds using the equipment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

50 healthy volunteers (25 women and 25 men) in the age of 17-50 were involved. The volunteers had a careful otolaryngological examination. Then the taste thresholds for each quarter of tongue were determined using the new equipment. Additionally, ten of the group of volunteers was examined in accordance to repetition time values.

RESULTS

the determined values showed symmetry of taste thresholds, among the range of 4.9-26 microA for anterior 2/3 of the tongue and 41.5-93 microA for the 1/3 posterior. The examination with consideration to repetition time did not show increase of taste threshold after ten minutes stimulation.

CONCLUSIONS

in conclusion the new kind of electrogustometry is precision and repeatable taste diagnostic method. Moreover the way of stimulation does not cause the phenomena of fatigue and adaptation.

[Assessment of the correlation between taste and smell functioning]

There are few studies examining relationship between taste and smell. However their clinical unity is more often indicated. Smell perception abnormalities cause modification in taste of food intensity, disabling perception of taste as a consequence of taste's sniffing failure. Thus disturbances of these senses, which often commonly coexist could cause great discomfort in patients, however taste sense is estimated as less important comparing to smell sense. The aim of that study was to compare the taste perception in patients with normal smell function and patients with hyposmia and anosmia. There was analyzed correlation between the patients' subjective estimation of smell and taste senses and results of gustometry and olfactometry examinations.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

there were indicated three groups of patients based on smell examination with usage of Elsberga--Levy'ego olfactometr in Pruszewicz modification. The first group included patients with normosmia, the second--patients with hyposmia or anosmia related to every smell, the third--patients with hyposmia on few smells and normal smell feeling of others. The Bornstein's method gustometry modified by us was performed for all groups. Moreover patients presented their subjective estimation of smell and taste senses. All results were statistically analyzed, taking into consideration results with alpha < or = 0.05.

RESULTS

All (100%) patients with normosmia correctly identified sour, bitter and salty tastes, while only 53% of patients with hyposmia and anosmia got similar results. However 76.5% of patients from the second group subjectively estimated their sense of taste as a normal perception.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with smell disturbances significantly more often have abnormalities in taste perception than patients with normosmia and their subjective estimation of taste and smell senses is much more different than gustometry and olfactometry results.

Comparison times are longer for hedonic than for intensity judgements of taste stimuli

Response times of intensity and hedonic comparisons were determined in a within-subjects experimental design. Forced-choice paired comparisons of orange lemonades with various concentrations of added quinine sulfate were made by 48 subjects. Depending on experimental condition, the subjects had to focus either on intensity or on pleasantness and give their responses as fast as possible. The data showed shorter response times for intensity comparisons than for pleasantness comparisons. Although taste processing may be partially serial and partially parallel, the larger part of the response times and the differences between them may be due to cognitive processing.

Maternal pregnancy vomiting and offspring salt taste sensitivity and blood pressure

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between salt taste perception and blood pressure (BP) in normotensive adolescents as modified by maternal fluid losses during the first trimester of gestation. Seventy-two healthy adolescents (42 boys) aged between 9.0-21.1 years, recruited from the population-based RICARDIN study, were included. A maternal questionnaire about the duration of pregnancy, birth weight and vomiting or diarrhoea in the first trimester of gestation was collected. The sample was categorized into: "vomiter descendents", those whose mother reported significant vomiting in the first trimester of gestation and "non-vomiter descendents" the remaining. Height, weight, and standardised BP measurement were recorded. Salt gustatory performance was assessed using a behavioral sensitivity test to determine the lower NaCl gustatory threshold, and a behavioral discrimination test, measuring the ability to distinguish among different saline solutions. Salt taste sensitivity showed a significant correlation with systolic BP (SBP) in "vomiter descendents" ( r = -0.66; P =0.003), but not in "non-vomiter descendents". Adjusted by gender, and actual height and weight, salt sensitivity performance remained significantly related to SBP. An association between descendents' SBP and maternal vomiting during gestation exists, adding a new element of evidence to the "Barker hypothesis".

Reliability of the AccuSens Taste Kit(c) in patients with eating disorders

Zinc deficiency is a putative risk factor for anorexia nervosa (AN). Detecting zinc deficiency may therefore be important in treatment. However, serum zinc is not a good measure of total body zinc. An alternative test for zinc deficiency is taste testing because zinc deficiency is known to impair taste (dysgeusia). To determine whether taste testing could be used in this way, we measured the reliability of the only commercially available taste test in 16 patients with eating disorders. The results were analyzed graphically and with the kappa statistic (K). The taste test was found to be unreliable and should not be used to determine zinc status.