Tastant profiling

Using our HMT tastant library, we can compare different cultivars, products, and extractions concerning their tastant profile. With these profiles, one can see changes in sourness, bitterness, sweetness, kokumi, and umami based on the relative abundance of major metabolites. To capture the diversity of metabolites, we would use 2 or 3 different platforms to capture small polar, large polar, and a variety of lipids including polyphenols, small peptides, alkaloids, organic acids, and more that contribute to over taste profile. In addition, high levels of malate, citrate, and succinate may also suggest high levels of divalent metals, that also can contribute to taste. All of these are considered in taste profiling. Our library continues to grow as the literature expands in this area. The readouts can vary in the kind of graphics we use depending upon the client’s preferences. Typically, we would examine multiple products to determine a relationship between production lots and taste profile. If one production has a more bitter taste, it may be due to high levels of one or more bitter components or due to high levels of an organic acid metal complex. While CEMS cannot directly measure heavy metals, high levels of an organic acid like malate or citrate, with high bitterness, is most likely due to the chelation of the acid with a divalent metal such as Mn or Mg.