Detecting tastiness in fermented foods through human receptors

Fermented foods and beverages were among the first food products consumed by humans worldwide (Hutkins, 2007). Clinical studies report health benefits of fermented foods, including weight maintenance, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (Chen et al., 2014; Eussen et al., 2016; Lorea Baroja et al., 2007; Marco et al., 2017; Tapsell, 2015). Fermented dairy foods such as yogurt provide a range of bioactive molecules (e.g. peptides, amino acids) that help maintain gut health and immune response (Adolfsson et al., 2004; Pei et al., 2017; Pessione and Cirrincione, 2016). Although the health benefits of fermented dairy foods are a well-researched area, we at AgResearch are working on developing methods to detect and study the different taste/flavours in yogurt. This is part of the MBIE Endeavour Research Programme called 'Accelerated evolution: A step-change in food fermentation'. This work is important to understand what makes fermented foods most appealing to a wider population and to explore different taste preferences. To predict how fermented food under development might taste, we want to be able to first screen these against human taste receptors in vitro to assess their tastant profile.