Salty, sour, sweet, bitter, umami-fatty? It turns out that fat is more than just texture. It also has a taste that is totally different from the rest.
A group of researchers from Purdue University came up with a very interesting study about food, taste, and texture. They just discovered that fat has a taste of its own, which they now call oleogustus. Because it's distinctive, it may have earned its right as the sixth basic taste.
This result is actually contrary to what has been considered a gospel by food experts-that is, fat simply acquires the taste of other food ingredients it is added to. Further, it is placed only to enhance the food's texture and flavor.
For the study, the researchers hired volunteers whose job was to identify the taste of certain types of food. Since the smell can have a profound effect on taste-it is one of the two major components that make up flavor, the other one being taste-they were each given a clip for the nose.
The participants also tested the food in a room with only red light. It's believed that the nerves that determine the temperature and texture of food run from the teeth to the eyes.
At least 63% of the volunteers could specifically identify the taste of fat among the samples. Interestingly, though, when it's not combined with other tastes, fat wasn't appealing to the buds at all. However, it may have something to do with the type of fat used during the experiment, which was long chained.
Nevertheless, based on the research, fat's taste has the ability to enhance the overall taste of food, making it more appetizing. The team thinks that the distinguishable taste of fat, especially when mixed with others, is what forces people to look or crave for it.
