Unlike other human senses, the exact mechanisms that lead to our perception of flavor have not yet been elucidated. It is recognised that the process involves a wide range of stimuli, which are thought likely to interact in a complex way, but, since the chemical compounds and physical structures that activate the flavor sensors change as the food is eaten, measurements of the changes in stimuli with time are essential to an understanding of the relationship between stimuli and perception. It is clear that we need to consider the whole process - the release of flavor chemicals in the mouth, the transport processes to the receptors, the specificity and characteristics of the receptors, the transduction mechanisms and the subsequent processing of signals locally and at higher centres in the brain. This book provides a state-of-the-art review of our current understanding of the key stages of flavor perception for those working in the flavor field, whether in the academic or industrial sector. In particular, it is directed at food scientists and technologists, ingredients suppliers and sensory scientists.

This book focuses on the initial biochemical and biophysical aspects of taste and olfaction. It is intended for a wide audience, both those already familiar with the chemical senses and those biochemists and neuro-biologists interested in gaining an appreciation of this rapidly expanding discipline.

The Chemical Senses and Nutrition focuses on the basic physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology of the chemical senses. This book examines the role of the chemical senses in nutrition. Organized into eight parts encompassing 24 chapters, this book starts with an overview of how taste can influence activity along the digestive tract, the character of secretions of the exocrine pancreas, and the level of circulating metabolic hormones. This text then explains the efficacy of external food-related stimuli to start and sustain an ingestion response. Other chapters consider the experimentally supported models of ingestive behavior, which generally emphasize energy relationships between the animal and its food. This book discusses as well how caloric intake is adjusted by modification to meal size, consumption rate, frequency, and duration of feeding. The final chapter deals with the gastronomic limits of an animal. This book is a valuable resource for nutritionists, psychophysicists, scientists, and researchers.

Provides an overview of the current status of basic science on the senses of smell, taste and pungency on which practical applications are based, and then show where some of the most interesting practical outcomes of these fundamentals are currently being applied.

This book focuses on the initial biochemical and biophysical aspects of taste and olfaction. It is intended for a wide audience, both those already familiar with the chemical senses and those biochemists and neuro-biologists interested in gaining an appreciation of this rapidly expanding discipline.

This Element looks at the physiological and social roles of taste and the proximal chemical senses. First, how we perceive food and people when we contact them is discussed. These perceptions help us identify what we are eating and with whom we are present and serves as an analysis of the complex scene. Second, the influence of taste in food choice, metabolism, and nutrition is considered. Next, the impact of taste and the proximal chemical senses in social interactions is examined, including social eating. Then, the role of taste and the proximal chemical senses in emotion is explored.

Intraspecific communication involves the activation of chemoreceptors and subsequent activation of different central areas that coordinate the responses of the entire organism—ranging from behavioral modification to modulation of hormones release. Animals emit intraspecific chemical signals, often referred to as pheromones, to advertise their presence to members of the same species and to regulate interactions aimed at establishing and regulating social and reproductive bonds. In the last two decades, scientists have developed a greater understanding of the neural processing of these chemical signals. Neurobiology of Chemical Communication explores the role of the chemical senses in mediating intraspecific communication. Providing an up-to-date outline of the most recent advances in the field, it presents data from laboratory and wild species, ranging from invertebrates to vertebrates, from insects to humans. The book examines the structure, anatomy, electrophysiology, and molecular biology of pheromones. It discusses how chemical signals work on different mammalian and non-mammalian species and includes chapters on insects, Drosophila, honey bees, amphibians, mice, tigers, and cattle. It also explores the controversial topic of human pheromones. An essential reference for students and researchers in the field of pheromones, this is also an ideal resource for those working on behavioral phenotyping of animal models and persons interested in the biology/ecology of wild and domestic species.