Sweeteners have a sweet taste and vary in their sweetness. Due to health problems, it is important that sugar can be replaced by intensive sweeteners, which can reduce the intake of sugar, while at the same time preserving the sweetness of food. Intensive sweeteners are low calorie sweeteners, which can be synthetic or natural. Nutritional sweeteners are digestible and provide calories. The perception of taste takes place via receptor cells that are present on the tongue. The ability to taste bitter compounds is genetically determined, and the tasters are then divided into those that are sensitive to the 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) compound and to those that are not sensitive to this compound. The sensitivity to the bitterness of PROP is also associated with the preception of the sweet taste, thus people who perceive PROP in low concentrations also have a lower threshold for recognizing the sweet taste. In the experimental part a sensory analysis of various sweeteners in aqueous solution and the form of model drinks was carried out at the Biotechnical Faculty during the subject of Sensory methods and at the Faculty of Technology in Novi Sad, where the panel of consumers were students of Food Technology and Nutrition department. With various sensory tests, a panel of consumers determined the intensity and hedonic likeness of the sweet taste of various sweeteners that were prepared like model drinks. They determined the intensity of metallic aftertaste. The intensity of metallic, sweet, bitter taste and the likeness of sweeteners was also determined in the aqueous solution of sweeteners. The individual capability of tasting the bitter compounds was determined by sensory analysis with the 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP test) and we wanted to check the association with the hedonic evaluation of samples of sweetener solutions.
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