Yeast extract of Vegemite

Thinly smeared on toast, this odd substance is eaten by Australians and New Zealanders. It is usually described as a thick, black, sticky salty yeast spread that is often used on toast during breakfast.

It is an Australian brand that reaches the hearts of its most loyal users - gaining brand devotion that many other brands can only dream of attaining.

It is made from yeast slurry, a brewery waste product. Basically, yeast extract is concentrated nutritional yeast whipped into a spreadable texture.

The appearance of vegemite, which is similar to used chewing tobacco, repels the uninitiated, as does its taste and smell.

It’s rich in thiamin and pantothenic acid , vegemite has lots of the B vitamins.

Vegemite could be spread on toast or crackers, it could be used as a soup base, it even turned out that it made for marvelous seasoning mixed with ground beef.
Yeast extract of Vegemite

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Taste of tea

Besides the aroma, the taste quality is also one of the key criteria used by tea tasters to describe the quality of tea liquor.

Green tea, oolong tea and black tea all have their own distinctive flavors. Its taste is at first bitter and astringent and then sweet.

The balance of astringency, bitterness and brothy taste is important to the characteristic taste of tea; catechins and caffeine are counted as the major contributors to astringency and bitterness.

The major catechins in green tea are EGCg, ECg, EGC, and EC, which are classified as either gallate-type catechins (EGCg and ECg) or non-gallate type catechins (EGC and EC) by the presence of galloyl group on the oxygen atom at the C3 position.

Human perceive the taste of the gallate-type catechins to be more bitter astringent than that of the non-gallate type catechins.

Black tea and green tea are different in flavor due to the fermentation process during production of black tea, in which catechins are oxidized and polymerized to form theaflavins; and consequently the astringent taste of green tea is replaced with more complex astringent taste.

Theaflavin constituting about 0.3 – 1.8% of black tea dry weight and 1- 6 % of the solid in tea infusion. It contributes significantly to the bright color and brisk taste of tea infusions.

During a few minutes infusion, catechins from tea leaves are not fully extracted. The preparation method will affect the extraction efficacy and consequently the content of polyphenols in the cup.
Taste of tea

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Astringent taste

Taste indicate the main impact of foods on human sense. The six taste are sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter and astringent. The taste of the food is determined by its chemical composition.

Astringency is defined by the tactile sensation of dryness and roughness throughout the mouth. It is the complex of sensations due to shrinking, drawing or puckering of the epithelium as a result of exposure to substances such as alums or polyphenols.

This sensation is because of the presence of tannins. These can tightens mucous membranes, contract tissues and decrease inflammation.

Foods with astringent taste tend to be more alkaline. Very few foods are predominantly astringent. Pomegranates, cranberries, teas, red wine and some unripe fruits such as mangoes and apples are examples of more astringent foods.

Astringency is created in wine through the presence of tannins. Astringent is more often a secondary taste to sweet, such as meats. Most beans and grains are primarily sweet with a secondary taste of astringency.
Astringent taste

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The Sense of Taste

The Sense of Taste
In physiological terms, the sense of taste can be describe as the sensations perceive in the mouth when a food and drink is consumed.

This is basically accomplished by chemical interaction of food components with taste sensory tissues in the tongue and other areas in the mouth. Commonly can be called these the “taste buds”.

However, the overall sensory impact experienced when food is tasted involves more than just the actual individual taste sense.

It is often more of a combination of taste with several additional senses – olfactory (smell), visual, touch and sometimes, even sound.

Would freshly squeezed orange juice taste like orange without the aromatic impact of the volatile citrus oils in the peel and the juice itself on sense of smell?

Would it taste like orange if, for some absurd reason, it was deep purple in color?

Would we not think something was wrong if we did not feel and sort of “hear” the small little juice sacs pop in our mouth as we swirl the liquid around our tongues?

Food technologists tend to think in terms of a drink’s “sensory properties” when evaluating it for taste.

These are the different sensory perception factors that impact on our brain: sweetness, sourness, flavor, mouthfeel, color, clarity, etc.

In a carbonated soft drink the gas content or its “fizziness” is a critical factor as well.

In addition to the sensory factors the temperature and presentation of the tested product would also play a significant part in the test results.

Therefore, a “taste test” would not only mean how does it taste but would also refer to a general evaluation of its sensory properties.
The Sense of Taste

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