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The function of the sense of taste is usually confined to the ability to perceive the flavor of food to assess and use the nutrients necessary for healthy survival and to discard those that may be harmful, toxic, or unpleasant. It is almost unanimously agreed that the perception of bitter taste prevents the consumption of toxins from plants, decaying foods, and drugs. Forty years ago, while practicing medicine in a rural area of the Colombian Amazon, I had an unexpected encounter with the Inga Indians. I faced the challenge of accepting that their traditional medicine was effective and that the medicinal plants they used had a real therapeutic effect. Wanting to follow a process of learning about medicinal plants on their terms, I found that, for them, the taste of plants is a primary and fundamental key to understanding their functioning. One of the most exciting results was discovering the therapeutic value of bitter plants. The present review aims to understand whether there is any scientific support for this hypothesis from the traditional world. Can the taste of plants explain their possible therapeutic benefit? In the last 20 years, we have made novel advances in the knowledge of the physiology of taste. Our purpose will be to explore these scientific advances to determine if the bitter taste of medicinal plants benefits human health.

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Migration of nib Cd to the testa during fermentation can be achieved with high temperatures (> 45 °C) and low nib pH values (< 5.0) using spontaneous fermentation. However, this low pH can lead to low flavor quality. This study used three controlled temperature fermentation treatments on three cacao genotypes (CCN 51, ICS 95, and TCS 01) to test its effects on the nib pH, the migration of nib Cd to the testa, and the liquor flavor quality. All treatments were effective in reducing the total nib Cd concentration. Nevertheless, the treatment with the higher mean temperature (44.25 °C) and acidification (pH 4.66) reached the highest mean nib Cd reductions throughout fermentation, a 1.37 factor in TCS 01, promoting the development of fine-flavor cocoa sensorial notes. In unfermented beans, the Cd concentration of nibs was higher than that of the testa, and the Cd migration proceeded down the total concentration gradient. However, Cd migration was observed against the concentration gradient (testa Cd > nib Cd) from the fourth day. Cd migration could increase by extensive fermentation until the sixth day in high temperatures and probably by the adsorbent capacity of the testa. Genotype-by-treatment interactions were present for the nib Cd reduction, and a universal percentage of decrease of Cd for each genotype with fermentation cannot be expected. Selecting genotypes with highly adsorbent testa combined with controlled temperatures would help reduce the Cd concentration in the cacao raw material, improving its safety and quality.

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Spray-drying is a commonly used method for producing powdered flavors, but the high temperatures involved often result in the loss of volatile molecules. To address this issue, our study focused on a novel approach: developing O/W Pickering emulsions with agri-food byproducts to encapsulate and protect D-limonene during spray-drying and storage. Emulsions formulated with lupin hull, lupin-byproduct (a water-insoluble protein-fiber byproduct derived from the production of lupin protein isolate), and camelina press-cake were subjected to spray-drying at 160 °C. The results revealed that these emulsions exhibited good stability against creaming. The characteristics of the dry emulsions (powders) were influenced by the concentration of byproducts. Quantitative analysis revealed that Pickering emulsions enhanced the retention of D-limonene during spray-drying, with the highest retention achieved using 3% lupin hull and 1% camelina press-cake. Notably, lupin-stabilized emulsions yielded powders with enhanced oxidative stability compared to those stabilized with camelina press-cake. Our findings highlight the potential of food-grade Pickering emulsions to improve the stability of volatile flavors during both processing and storage.

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In this study, the effect of different heating temperatures (80, 90, 100, and 121 °C) on the physicochemical and volatile flavor properties of fried mantles (Argentinian shortfin) was investigated. The squid mantles were soaked in a maltose syrup solution (20% w/v) for 10 s and fried in soybean oil for 10 s (160 °C), vacuum-packed, and processed at different temperatures for 10 min. Then, the squid mantles were subjected to colorimetric analysis, sensory evaluation, free amino acid analysis, and texture profile analysis. In addition, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the squid mantles were analyzed. The results revealed that lower treating temperatures (80 and 90 °C) improved the chromatic and textural properties, along with organoleptic perception. Additionally, the content of amino acid in the squid mantles treated at 121 °C was significantly lower than that of the samples treated at other temperatures (p < 0.05). Headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) was used to detect 41 VOCs, including their monomers and dimers. Among these detected VOCs, the contents of alcohols, ketones, and pyrazines were positively correlated with temperature. However, the content of aldehydes in the squid mantles gradually decreased as the heating temperature increased (p < 0.05). The combined HS-GC-IMS and E-nose results revealed that the lower temperatures (80 and 90 °C) were more suitable for flavor development and practical processing. This study provides valuable information for properly controlling the heating process of squid products, as well as flavor and practical applications for the aquatic industry.

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Cocoa is an economically important product in Colombia. On-farm germplasm evaluations enable the selection of superior genotypes for propagation and distribution across the country. This study examined 12 cocoa samples from Antioquia along with five reference materials, employing 96 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Furthermore, these genetic findings were correlated with physical, chemical, and sensory attributes. Primary coordinate analysis revealed that the majority of samples were hybrids derived from five original germplasm pools, including Criollo, Amelonado, and three Upper Amazon Forastero cocoas. The integral profile of the 12 selected materials was classified into Modern Criollo (Rodriguez-Medina et al., 2019) [3], Forasteros (Rodriguez-Medina et al., 2019) [3], and Trinitarios (Borja Fajardo et al., 2022) [6]. Three key factors were identified to best account for the sample classification: type of variety, functional properties, and quality.

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Introduction: Beer is one of the most consumed alcoholic drinks in the world, and this industry is a growing market that demands different properties to satisfy new consumers. The yeasts are used in different fermented beverages to contribute to new flavors. However, yeast strains used in the beer industry are limited so far, thus the diversity of flavors is very restricted. Therefore, the use of native yeast strains has been taking more importance with the purpose of conferring differentiated organoleptic properties to the product. Based on this observation the potentiality of native Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains obtained from different localities in Chile was researched. Methods: In this work was selected those strains that produced the highest ethanol concentration (nearly 6% v/v), consumed the highest amounts of sugars, and produced the lowest amounts of organic acids in the resulting beers. Finally, we did a beer tasting to select those strains that added different flavors to the final beer compared with a commercial strain used. Results and discussion: In this study, two native strains that produced fruity descriptors are described, which could be used in the future in brewing, craft or industrial production.

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The present work was conducted to evaluate the volatile profile of Ecuadorian Forastero, CCN-51, ETT103 and LR14 cocoa beans during traditional fermentation in laurel wood boxes followed by a sun-drying process. Fifty-six volatiles were identified with HS-SPME-GC-MS. Aldehydes, alcohols and ketones were the compounds that mainly characterized the fresh cocoa. The main compounds formed during the anaerobic fermentation step were esters and acids, while in the aerobic fermentation step, an increase in ester-, aldehyde- and acid-type compounds was observed. Finally, after the drying step, a notable increase in the acid (i.e., acetic acid) content was the predominant trend. According to the genotypes, ETT103 presented high contents of terpenes, alcohols, aldehydes and ketones and low contents of unfavorable acid compounds. The CCN-51 and LR14 (Trinitarian) varieties stood out for their highest amounts in acids (i.e., acetic acid) at the end of primary processing. Finally, the Forastero cocoa beans were highlighted for their low acid and high trimethylpyrazine contents. According to the chemometric and Venn diagram analyses, ETT-103 was an interestingly high-aromatic-quality variety for cocoa gourmet preparations. The results also showed the need for good control of the processing steps (using prefermentative treatments, starter cultures, etc.) on Ecuadorian genotypes of Trinitarian origin.

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An increasing demand for fish products has led to an intensive aquaculture production in Brazil, and cultivation of fish constituted 860 × 103 tons in 2022, contributing to the 87% of total fish consumption. Nile tilapia constitutes almost half of the aquaculture production, and most tilapia farms use floating net cages. One of the major constraints of intensive fish production is production of off-flavors. Release of nutrients by the fish leads to deterioration of the water quality and stimulates growth of microorganisms, also including off-flavor producing species. The objective of this study was to determine levels of taste and odor compounds (geosmin, 2-MIB and a selection of volatile compounds) and their impact on the flavor quality of Nile tilapia produced in net cages in reservoirs in São Paulo State, Brazil. GC-MS analysis of fish and water from six different farms showed concentrations of geosmin in the water from 1 to 8 ng/L, while geosmin in fish flesh ranged from 40 to 750 ng/kg. The level of 2-MIB in water was 2 to 25 ng/L, and 0 to 800 ng/kg fish. The GC-MS analysis also revealed presence of more than 100 volatile organic compounds in the fish flesh, consisting of aldehydes, alcohols, benzene derivatives, hydrocarbons, ketones and few other compounds. Geosmin and 2-MIB related flavor notes were detected in all fish by a sensory panel, and a high correlation between the chemical and sensory analyses was found. The potential impact of the volatile organic compounds on the fish flavor is discussed. Analysis of the water quality in the reservoirs indicated that levels of geosmin and 2-MIB levels were highly influenced by the nutrient levels in the water.

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Colombia is a producer of fine cocoa, according to the International Cocoa Organization; however, most of its exports are in the ordinary cocoa category. To remedy this situation, several national organizations are working to create technological platforms for small producers to certify the quality of their beans. The objective of this study was to identify differential chemical markers in 36 cocoa bean samples from five Colombian departments and associate them with cocoa quality properties. For this purpose, a non-targeted metabolomics approach was performed using UHPLC-HRMS, along with sensory and physicochemical analyses. The 36 samples did not differ in sensory quality, polyphenol content, and theobromine/caffeine ratio. However, the multivariate statistical analysis allowed us to differentiate the samples into four clusters. In addition, a similar grouping of the samples was also observed in the physical analyses. The metabolites responsible for such clustering were investigated with univariate statistical analysis and presumptively identified by comparison of experimental mass spectra with those reported in databases. Alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, peptides, quinolines, and sulfur compounds were identified as discriminants between sample groups. Here, it was presented the metabolic profiles as an important chemical feature for further studies in quality control and more specific characterization of fine cocoa.

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